


Nothing Ventured

by Starbuck7



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Eventual Smut, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Langst, M/M, Male Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Mild Smut, My First Smut, Pining Lance (Voltron), Slavery, Space Pirates, omg it's so hard to write!, rolance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 06:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13805487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starbuck7/pseuds/Starbuck7
Summary: Lance grasped at his body, sitting up in the blackness of his room and pulling his legs in against tight his chest. Heaving frantic breaths, his eyes looked desperately for a sense of his surroundings, waiting for black lightning from the dark, a painful prod in his side, or powerful arms grasping him roughly. Lance sobbed through the fear, cold sweat sticking the bedding to his skin. He shivered, or perhaps he was just trembling.Maybe the liquor was to blame. Or was it that sinking terror tearing through his center that made his skin crawl so unendurably that forced Lance into action? Perhaps it was a combination of both. Whatever the cause, the brunet boy found himself knocking on Rolo’s door.The Space Pirates AU I promised to GlassAlice. Happy Birthday!





	1. Ltaras

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GlassAlice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassAlice/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance, Nyma, and Rolo get a couple Space Pirate-y jobs!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will probably make some more edits once I have time. I wrote the whole thing in less than two weeks as a birthday present! I hope you enjoy!

Lance was no stranger to blaring sirens. Growing up on his home planet, he’d become accustomed to the sounds of police forces chasing thieves through the busy streets, and almost learned to block them out as he drifted into dreams. As he joined the ranks of such unsavory professionals--what seemed two lifetimes later--he’d learned to listen to sirens with a new level of caution, even in a dead sleep. But the warning clamoring now, disturbing what was an otherwise perfect slumber, was by far the hardest to train himself for. 

“Oh, come on!” Lance groaned, rolling over on his stomach on his mattress. His right arm dangled over the edge, tan knuckles brushing along the ground and he huffed out a breath.

“Sorry about that,” a deep baritone voice drawled over the intercom, and the sounds abruptly stopped, “Don’t worry, I got the mounts set again. Should be smooth flying from here.”

Lance breathed out a frustrated sigh, shuffling his arm along the smooth metal floor. Maybe if he just stayed still long enough, he’d fall back asleep. 

“Hey, Lance, can you come down here for a minute?”

Apparently not.

Growling, Lance rolled onto the cold floor and sat up. Didn’t they understand that he needed his beauty sleep? He wasn’t even hitting five vargas these days, and that was the absolutely minimum required to keep his eyes from puffing and his skin from turning dry or breaking out. He muttered to himself throughout the entire process of dressing, stubbornly working through his skin and hair care regimen and making himself presentable. This was their own fault for not letting him sleep. Still, all in all it only took maybe fifteen doboshes, a new record. 

When he reached the engine room, the lavender-skinned marvel before him sat straddling a cooling node, orange welding goggles still pulled down over his eyes and nose almost like a beak, though the welder was already shut off. Lance’s gaze lingered a bit longer than necessary before the man’s eyes flicked upward, pulling the goggles up onto the brick red helmet cap he was wearing with an easy smile.

“Hey, Lance,” that voice drawled again, still riding that node like a--

“Hey, Rolo,” he replied in much too high a tone, averting his gaze and pretending to be very interested in a compressor connected to the air circulation system, bolted against the opposite wall a few strides away. _Keep it together, Lance…_

“You ready for breakfast, handsome?” Rolo asked, dismounting and readjusting his left boot before striding forward.

“Do you have to flirt first thing in the morning? That’s my job.” Suddenly realizing what Rolo had said, Lance’s mouth dropped open in clear confusion, “Wait, I thought you needed my help with something.”

“Nah,” Rolo chuckled, “I just knew it would take you half a varga to get ready, so I figured I’d give you a head start on breakfast.” Lance narrowed his eyes.

“That’s dirty, Rolo. And it did _not_ take half a varga.”

“I know!” Rolo said, stepping forward to clap Lance on the back, clear admiration in his voice. “Is this a new record?” Rolo guided him back through the engine room door, strong, four-fingered hand still pressed against Lance’s shoulder blade as he sputtered assurances that he could walk on his own. It wasn’t far to the mess hall, but Lance blushed the whole way.

“Hey, Nyma,” Rolo spoke as he pressed Lance through the door. 

“Hello, boys,” Nyma chirped from over a slanted bowl of steaming Penandi porridge. “Nice to see you awake so soon, Lance. Usually seven vargas is a little low for you.”

“You’re hilarious, Nyma,” an exasperated Lance retorted, not bothering to correct her. He crossed to the counter on the far wall and scooped himself a bowl of porridge. The stuff wasn’t half bad with a dash of the seasoning Rolo had picked up a few phoebs back on a commerce trip. Lance couldn’t quite remember what it tasted like, but there was something familiar and comforting about it. After vigorously shaking himself two helpings’ worth of spice, he placed himself on the opposite side of the table, scooting to one side--as far from Nyma as possible--Rolo seating himself across from Nyma, sidling up and brushing lightly against Lance’s left elbow as he scooped out his first bite..

“Oh, and for once you get to eat the food while it’s still hot!” exclaimed Nyma, left hand pointing a deep spoon accusingly in his direction. “Must be, what, at least a few deca-phoebs since you’ve rolled yourself out of bed this soon.”

“Do I have to separate you two?” Rolo interjected in his cool monotone, swallowing a mouthful of porridge as if it wasn’t scalding. And maybe it wasn’t for him. Blowing on a spoonful of his own, Lance tossed a gaze to his left to meet Rolo’s orchid eyes. “You promised you’d get along.”

“I’ll behave,” Nyma assured, and Lance nodded his agreement. Normally he’d be up in arms about being lumped in when Nyma was the one instigating, but Lance was too tired for it this morning.

“We’re on autopilot, I assume?” Rolo asked, swallowing half a bowl in a matter of seconds.

“Yeah. I’m heading back up, though,” Nyma said, lifting herself gracefully and placing her dish in the auto washer on the back wall. “We’re getting close to Ltaras. I’ll buzz you when we’re on approach. That okay with you, Lance?”

“Sure,” Lance replied, gently scraping a small amount porridge into his mouth, pleased that it didn’t melt the roof of his mouth on contact. With Nyma safely down the hall, Rolo whipped his head back to stare at Lance, a baffled expression twisting his features. 

“What’s going on, Lance?”

“What? _You’re_ the one who asked us not to fight.” Lance took another small bite, mushing it around in his mouth more than chewing. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Rolo conceded, somehow managing to gracefully wolf down the remaining contents of his bowl in a few ticks. He swallowed. “You just seem off today.”

“Just tired,” Lance admitted.

“You went to sleep _seven vargas_ ago,” Rolo said, standing and crossing to refill his bowl with second helpings. “I mean I know you need your _beauty sleep_ \--”

“This flawless skin cannot be neglected, dude.”

“--but that’s still a bit much, don’t you think?” He half turned back to Lance. “Hey, you would tell me if… I mean, if the dreams came back, you’d-- They’re not--”

Lance shrugged, pressing down a sudden feeling of panic that rose from the center of his chest. He coughed to release a knot forming in his chest, “It takes a couple vargas to calm down afterward. It’s almost time to get up by the time I’m back asleep.”

Rolo looked crestfallen as he dropped into the seat next to him, the warm skin of his arm heating Lance through his sleeve. “You should have just said that to Nyma. That would have shut her up quick.”

“Yeah, right,” Lance spoke bitterly around a spoonful. “She’s still sore over everything, and she pokes at everything _but_ what’s really bothering her. I don’t want to give her any more ammunition, thank you.”

“She just doesn’t understand,” Rolo reassured him, wrapping an arm around Lance’s middle and tightening the smaller young man into his side. Lance’s skin flushed, but he let Rolo press him deep into his slender middle. Because why not? “She wasn’t with us yet when Kazrin... picked you up. I remember what it was like those first phoebs.”

“I still don’t want her to know,” Lance said, shifting uncomfortably away from Rolo, who loosened his grip, but kept short of releasing him. Slapping on his winningest smile, Lance continued, “Look, I’m fine, honest. I just might need a nap later.”

Rolo nodded, “Alright. But come talk to me if you ever need.” Lifting his hand, Rolo rubbed Lance’s shoulder before liberating it and turning his attention back to his breakfast. Lance tried to smile so Rolo wouldn’t worry, and focused cheerily on the rest of his meal, squelching his fears until they settled deep enough to forget.

 

\---------------

 

Ltaras wasn’t special. It sported no spectacular vistas or natural wonders. It wasn’t known for its food, its culture, or its people. It wasn’t the largest or smallest planet in the galaxy, or even the largest or smallest planet in its own solar system. It had a decent flow of commerce, but nothing to write home about, and offered no exceptional local goods or services. It was neither poor nor affluent, sparsely populated nor overcrowded, undeveloped nor technologically advanced. Unextraordinary in every way imaginable, Ltaras acted primarily as a waystation, a stop on the journey to other much more favorable destinations. Perhaps the only interesting thing about Ltaras, in fact, was that Nyma’s contact happened to live there. 

Someone needed to stay with the ship and Rolo had been more than happy to volunteer, insisting Lance get out for some fresh air and a change of scenery. Lance could’ve kicked him. But it was hard to say no to the guy when he tossed around that sly grin. And so Lance trudged through the streets of the galaxy’s dullest planet with Nyma at his side. Fortunately for Lance, Nyma was clearly in no mood to deal with him today, so if their trek was less than amicable, it was at least quiet. 

The path was familiar and their landing site close, so only a few doboshes later they were walking into Saladan Entertainment. The pair snaked through the adult recreational facility, heading on the most direct path they could manage toward the back offices. 

Lance usually stared a good deal at the practitioners at this point, but his mood from this morning was still…. Nope. Scratch that. Everyone here was still _super_ hot. He threw a lopsided grin at a lovely Tandalujan girl, dressed in the autumn reds and yellows that suited their lustrous skin. She was dancing for a short Havari man, but her dark eyes gleamed only for Lance and the smirk that quirked her lips made him weak at the knees. Noticing how Lance’s pace slowed, Nyma grabbed him by the arm of his buttoned olive jacket with a sigh and half-dragged him through the rest of the establishment. 

At the back of the building they stepped into a darkened hallway, curving around to a wide, black doorway. Nyma rapped a fairly elaborate knock against the metallic door, and soon a high-pitched male voice answered back.

“Wrong knock, Nyma!”

“Aww, let us in, Siit! Please?” she called through the door, voice brimming with that innocent sexuality that was her signature. Nyma had a way--with men mostly--of getting what she wanted. The door flew open, though a few heavy footfalls and a heavier sigh later. Standing in the open door frame stood a short Grayma gentleman, sporting deep blue fitted pants and a matching jacket to complement the light slate tinge of his skin--one step shy of maximum formality. He was a classy guy. “Thank you, Siit!”

“I sent you the new knock two quintants past, Nyma. You must be more careful.”

“I’m sorry,” Nyma simpered, placing a hand on the top of Siit’s arm, far below her, one of her soft fingers brushing the front of his shoulder, the other two resting behind. “Well, we’re here now.” Siit looked up at Lance, regarding him as if for the first time. It was just possible Siit genuinely hadn’t seen him before now. Nyma had that effect on people. 

“Well, hello Lance!” he exclaimed, puffing out his chest and raising a hand, which Lance slapped with a smile. Lance was quite proud of teaching Siit one of the ‘customary greetings’ of his people. He couldn’t honestly remember any real greetings, but he thought this qualified. There was very little chance of Siit ever meeting another resident of his home planet anyway, so he didn’t see the harm, and high-fiving the tiny alien left Lance positively tickled.

“Long time no see, Siit!” he launched in, pouring on the swagger. And that was the other reason Rolo sent him. Lance knew he possessed a certain charm of his own, and though Rolo was a very chill guy, his large frame was intimidating to smaller species like the Graymas. Lance knew he was slight of build, even for one of his own race. Adding in his natural charisma, and he tended to put contacts like Siit at ease. “Still courting that baker woman down the street?”

“Sadly no,” Siit sighed. “She has married another.”

“Married?” Lance gasped. “ _Already?!_ ”

“Exactly!” Siit cried.

“That’s rough, man,” Lance sighed out, nodding with a frown. The gestures in Grayma culture were polar opposites from most of the known universe, and Lance’d only barely kept himself from shaking his head out of habit--an affirmative, positive signal to the Grayma. Siit nodded his frustration back at Lance, and stepped back from the doorway to let them both step through. 

“Well, to business,” the smoky-skinned man said, crossing to sit behind a half-circle desk with a chair that rose him up unnaturally until he was eye-level with his guests. He pressed a few buttons and a hologram blinked to life in front of them at the desk’s edge. “The canisters you see before you are quintessence.”

“The primary power source for all Galra tech,” Nyma said in a bored tone, as if challenging Siit for something a little more dangerous and life threatening.

“You’ll be acquiring ten canisters and transporting them to Tandaluja.”

“I don’t know,” Lance said, eyes flicking to Nyma. “We’ve had more than our fair share of run-ins with the Galra already, Siit.”

“Which makes us more qualified to acquire Galra tech than other contractors, wouldn’t you say, Lance?” Nyma flashed him a smile that didn’t reach her purple irises. 

“It’s very safe, I assure you,” Siit continued with a shake of his head. “The contents are in a long-term storage facility on a conquered world. There are only a handful of Galra on the entire planet, mere guards lead by a low-ranking Galra official. I would never send you somewhere truly dangerous.” Lance tapped his foot out of Siit’s view as he considered. They needed the currency, and if it wasn’t dangerous...

“How many Galra, exactly?”

“I was told only two squads.”

“Squads, not squadrons?” Lance confirmed. That was a huge difference, and he wasn’t about to die over a misunderstanding.

“Definitely squads. Twenty soldiers in total,” Siit confirmed, “plus a commanding officer. Nothing for talented individuals such as yourselves.”

“And the payout?” Nyma cut in. Siit smiled smoothly, but his head bounced back and forth between his shoulders as he continued.

“The risk is low, so I’m afraid I can only offer five.”

“No deal,” Lance said, leaning back and crossing his arms.

“Oh, come now!”

“He’s right, Siit, darling,” Nyma cooed, leaning forward to brush a hand across the desk apologetically. “The job will put us too far out of our normal operating area and it barely pays enough to cover our expenses. It just isn’t worth the expense.”

“I understand.” He shook his smooth, leathery neck in confirmation and deactivated the holoram. “I know you two will want to settle down soon. Eventually all couples want to rest and have a family. ” Lance did a double-take at that. “Since it’s for you two, I can offer you a second job in the area, much more lucrative.”

“I’m sorry, what did you--”

“That’s really _so_ generous,” Nyma cut Lance off. “Thank you for thinking of us.” She tossed him a terse smile and Lance slowly closed his mouth.

The Grayma lifted a clear screen in his left hand, eyes wandering over its surface for a moment before flicking back up, “This one is a bounty… for the Empire.”

“You want us to steal _from_ the Galra,” Lance piped in, leaning in toward the circular desk as his brow furrowed, “and _for_ the Galra on the same job?”

“Technically two different jobs,” the small but bulky alien assured him with an innocent smile. Lance frowned back.

“What if we’re recognized?”

“You bring the item to me as an intermediary,” Siit insisted. “I take my usual fee, and you walk away with a hundred and twenty thousand and change, plus the five for the quintessence.”

_A hundred and twenty--??_

Lance didn’t even bother looking at Nyma. Nearly a decaphoebs’ pay for two quintants’ work? He knew she must be feeling the same, but there was no reason to betray their excitement.

“We’ll have to discuss with Rolo as well,” Nyma said cooly. Attagirl.

“Of course!”

Nyma quirked a tiny smile from the corner of her mouth, and Lance had to keep himself from the same. I mean, one twenty five would keep them solvent a long time. They could finally get that upgrade Rolo wanted, and still have some money to squirrel away for a rainy day. Or retirement. “But what is the cargo on the Galra job?” 

“Oh, well, just… one Lion.” Now it was time for Nyma and Lance to share a look, though excitement was not the primary emotion anymore. “Before you say anything, I know you turned down the bounty last year, but there were five pilots at that time. Besides, the Galra have significantly increased the payout.”

“I dunno, Siit…”

“A little faith, Lance! I have information on the location of a single Lion. Unlike last decaphoeb, this Lion is separated from the others, and may even be unattended at times. There is still risk, but much lower than before.”

“It’s still us against a paladin of Voltron,” Lance reasoned. “Give us a minute, Siit, my man.”

They stepped outside the black door into the darkened hallway and commed in Rolo. To Lance’s chagrin, he agreed with Nyma. 

“Look, I get it. You begged us off the last Voltron job,” Rolo’s voice buzzed through the speaker in his ear. “And you were probably right, Lance. It was too dangerous to go up against all five Lions, even with a good con. But this is just one Lion, guaranteed to be on their own. As long as we approach when the Paladin is away from the cockpit, this job’ll be a breeze.”

“Fine,” Lance sighed. “But if we get killed by Voltron, I’m haunting both of you until the day you die.”

“In this scenario we _all_ die, right?” Rolo confirmed. “So how are you haunting us until--”

“It was just an expression, Rolo!’ Lance shrieked a whisper, face flushing as Rolo chuckled over the comm. Hanging up on Rolo was childish, but if he had to listen to that husky laugh for another second, he might honestly explode.

He and Nyma went back inside to tell Siit the good news, and the pair of them soon made their way back to the transport. Lance was first to break the silence.

“So…. You didn’t tell Siit we split up?”

“And burst his one remaining lung?” Nyma retorted. “Oh, come on, Lance, he always loved that we were in love. And he throws us better jobs because of it, like this one. It’s just easier if he thinks we’re still together.”

“Oh, so now you _did_ love me?” Lance taunted as they meandered through street vendors, nearing the transport landing station. 

“Don’t be that way,” Nyma replied, “I _liked_ you, I liked spending time together. Of course, that was never enough for you, so you always had your foot out the door looking for something better.”

“I wanted _you_ , Nyma, I just wanted a you who was actually in love with me. That’s really not a lot to ask from someone you’ve been with for six phoebs.” 

“So I have to feel love on _your_ schedule? Or maybe you think I’m just incapable--”

“I told you, I didn’t mean it that way!” Lance sighed. It was an old fight, and it always led the same place--no resolution and the pair of them furious. “Look, this is hard enough, us breaking up and having to work together every day, without us pretending we’re together to your contacts. After all this is over, we should tell Siit the truth. And any other contacts you haven’t told.”

“Which is all of them. Alright,” Nyma cut him off before he could protest, though her voice said she thought Lance was being ridiculous. “But you’re the one breaking it to Siit. I won’t be responsible when he kicks it in shock.”

 

\---------------

 

“Rolo, can we talk?”

“Sure thing.” Scooting out from under the cooling node he’d been riding that morning, Rolo pulled back his goggles and sat up to face Lance, who plopped himself on the ground across from him. Lance tossed him a microweave towel.

“What’s the trouble, _little man?_ ” he asked as he scrubbed the grime from his fingers.

Lance narrowed his eyes and plucked the magna-setter from the toolbox to his left and hurled it at Rolo’s face. Laughing, Rolo caught the blow against his gauntleted forearm and the tool clattered to the floor.

“I told you to stop calling me that decaphoebs ago!” Lance cried, but Rolo’s deep chuckle made it hard to keep the look of frustration pinned to his face. Lance pursed his lips to keep from grinning. “I’m not a kid anymore, Rolo.”

“You loved it when Kazrin said it. And it wasn’t that long ago.”

Lance’s heart twinged and he had to remind himself to breathe. “Why do we always end up talking about Kazrin, these days? It’s like we don’t have anything else worth talking about.”

“We’d never have met without him,” Rolo mused, picking up the magna-setter and tossing it heavily back into his toolbox. “And I don’t know about you, but I still miss him.”

“Yeah...”

“But you had something you wanted to talk to me about.”

“Right.” Lance resettled, sliding one leg out to Rolo’s left and resting his left elbow on the opposite knee. “Did you know Nyma hasn’t told _any_ of her contacts we broke up?”

“None of them?” 

“Siit was talking about us settling down and she just made me go along with it. I mean, who knows if he’d still have given us the job if he knew, but--”

“It wouldn’t have affected our jobs. He _loves_ the two of you, it was just a bonus that you loved each other.” Rolo shifted uncomfortably, eyes unsure where to look. “I’m sorry she made you uncomfortable. Should I talk to her for you?”

Lance’s eyebrow shot up, “Don’t you think you’ve been the go-between long enough? Nah, I didn’t come for help, I just… y’know it got me thinking about how hard it’s been. We have to work with each other, now, and things are getting better, but...”

“Breakups are always hard.”

“Yeah, breakups are hard.” Lance bit his lip, looking up at Rolo for a moment, but Rolo seemed to be looking anywhere but at him. “Actually… I was kinda wondering what _you_ thought about... pursuing romantic relationships with people you work with.”

Rolo shot him a curious look, “What I think?”

Lance pushed through the flush filling his face, “Yeah, I never asked you before starting up a thing with Nyma, and… do you… think it’s a mistake to date someone you work with, like in any circumstance? Or, I dunno… was it just that it was Nyma that made it hard in the breakup? Like, do you think this is a unique case?”

“Hmm…” Rolo looked away from Lance as he pondered, and Lance wished he could read that passive face. Rolo played things close to the vest, and it drove Lance crazy. Couldn’t the guy just show his emotions on his face like a regular person? Lance couldn’t hide what he was feeling to save his life, hence the deep red blush creeping up to his ears. “I don’t really know, Lance… It could be just Nyma, but… Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not, so that’s why people don’t try it. But, obviously it shouldn’t come up again, since you’ve already dated Nyma. So I don’t think it really matters what I think now, right?”

“Right.” Well dammit, that wasn’t really an answer, but he couldn’t clarify without being too obvious. But one thing he said held the touch of finality that suggested maybe Lance had his answer after all. _Obviously it won’t be a problem again_. Obviously. “Sure. Well, I’m gonna go work on those plans Siit gave us for the outpost. See you for lunch!”

Nothing like staring at a bunch of boring charts and figures to forget that your crush obviously didn’t feel the same way.


	2. Kasalu & Tandaluja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio complete their first job and celebrate among the hottest aliens in the galaxy.

Lance was usually in charge of planning their jobs, a responsibility he’d inexplicably inherited from Kazrin. In spite of the Galra presence this one wasn’t too tricky, and by the time they approached Kasalu he felt confident they could get in and out safely. There wasn’t much to do until Nyma and Rolo arrived to be briefed, so Lance pulled out a Cincture board and started playing out some old games Kazrin had given him. 

“Not gonna play with me, I guess?” a deep voice asked from the mess hall door. Lance smirked, but tried to keep his face neutral rather than the giddy-schoolboy-first-crush nonsense that threatened to dominate his face whenever Rolo was in the room.

“Well, this way I get an opponent worth playing,” Lance replied, voice dripping with swagger. Rolo coughed a laugh, sweeping around the table to sit across from him. “Besides, I’m not playing myself today. I’m playing out championship games.”

“Ah. Whose games?”

“Bo Thice,” he replied.

“Not really your style,” Rolo said, raising a pair of white eyebrows. 

“No, but he’s exactly the kind of style I’m weak against. Aggressive, violent, dirty. I hate his style, but I gotta figure out some elegant defense. Or an equally violent counterattack. Haven’t figured out which yet.”

“Because Bo always wins.”

“Yeah, he’s annoying like that,” Lance answered with grin. 

Rolo smiled back and Lance dropped his eyes back to the game. “We all set for tomorrow?” 

“As long as that distress beacon you picked up works, we should be,” Lance answered, checking his data screen for the next sequence of moves.

“I fixed it up,” Rolo confirmed and Lance nodded. Once Rolo fixed it up, it was fixed. “So we’re creating a distraction?”

“It’s skipping distance from a small asteroid belt,” Lance said, placing a short cylindrical stone in a small square and observing the board, then placing the next three and frowning down at the board.

“Do you know how serious your face gets when you play Cincture?” Rolo asked. It took a moment for Lance to respond, mostly because he’d completely blocked out the orchid-skinned man in front of him for a moment.

“What about my face?” Lance asked, head whipping up frantically as he pulled himself out of the board. “What did you say?”

Rolo gave a throaty laugh, “I said your face gets all serious when you play Cincture.”

“Oh.” What was he supposed to say to that? How was he supposed to think clearly when that laugh was echoing in his head. “Uh, sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize. It’s adorable.”

And that was enough to set his face burning in half a tick flat.

“Do you want to play me until Nyma finishes?” Lance asked, desperate for any other line of conversation. Besides, he didn’t want to hear he was adorable from the same man who didn’t think Lance would ever have a chance with him.

“You sure you can handle this?” Rolo swept his arms up and down his physique to indicate himself. Lance smirked, a devilish gleam in his eye.

“Well, I figure Nyma’ll be here in ten doboshes, and that’s about how long I need to _eviscerate_ you.” Rolo huffed another laugh at that, white teeth parted in an easy smile that looked downright kissable. Lance cleared his throat, then cleared the board. “Let’s do this.” 

It only took six doboshes.

 

\---------------

 

“You know, going against Rolo is an unfair fight, Lance,” Nyma said over her shoulder. “I’ll play you next time. Give you a real challenge.”

“Hey…” Rolo intoned, but Lance cut in, his voice high and bright.

“You’re on. But if you could focus on controlling that distress beacon, that would be great.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Focusing on the control panel in front of her, Nyma keyed in coordinate changes and half-auto, adjusting as the asteroid belt shifted around them.

“I’m not that bad,” Rolo insisted. “And you know Nyma isn’t that much better than me. She just reads you so she knows if you’re bluffing to draw her into a trap.”

“I’m aware, thanks,” Lance replied, his voice tense, “just focus on flying, Rolo.”

“Yessir, Captain Kazrin, sir!” Rolo said in his highest voice, which was still half an octave lower than Lance, fake saluting with a smirk.

“Alright,” Lance chided, but he smirked back. No one could pinpoint when it had happened, but somehow Lance had taken charge on their jobs, the same way Kazrin used to, and the others just accepted it. Something akin to pride blossomed in his chest. They needed him, wanted him, and that made him feel very safe. “Hey, looks like the Galra have mustered four fighters and a transport. That’s an estimated eight soldiers, with twelve remaining on-world. I’m moving the timetable up.”

“But that’s more Galra out of the way, Lance,” Nyma insisted. “We were planning on only two fighters, so the surface is even safer.”

“They can search the field faster,” Lance said. “Just trust me.”

“We gotcha,” Rolo said. 

Lance nodded appreciatively, “Okay, Rolo. Scrambler’s up and running. Clear for descent.”

 

\---------------

 

The timetable was perfect. Nyma stayed with the ship, remote controlling the beacon as close to the asteroids as she dared, while Rolo and Lance took their landbikes out to collect their cargo. There were only two Galra at this particular energy silo, and the pair never even saw them. Their cadre had become so accustomed to Galra patrol movements over the years that Lance hadn’t even needed to write them into his plans, though he obviously planned a contingency in case they were forced to knock the troops out. All the videographic evidence was destroyed as they left, and they were back at the cargo bay doors with twenty-two ticks to spare. 

The fighters were still chasing the beacon down when they broke atmo on the opposite side of the planet. Lance had Nyma detonate the beacon, feigning a crash into a nearby asteroid. And then they were gone, ten canisters of quintessence richer, and the Galra would chalk it all up to a clerical error.

Like true professionals the trio waited until the dropoff point on Tandaluja before ordering a round of drinks to celebrate their triumph. Tanadaluja was a fun planet, especially the city they were in, Stala. It had a vibrant community, and the three of them got asked to join in on a rare local tradition of circle dancing under a double full moon. Lance played wingman for Nyma at a club, who then spent her time getting free drinks from a man twice her size--a man who may or may not have gone home alone one wallet lighter at the end of the night. Rolo was a quiet drinker, always happy to laugh at Lance’s jokes, but seemed more content to observe from the sidelines. 

The most affectionate drunk of the group, Lance hung off of various Tandalujan girls, and one really hot Tandalujan guy, over the span of vargas. The warmth blooming in his face convinced his brain that everything--from the banners, to the sticks the food was served on, to the tiny decorative animals adorning each glass--was just the _greatest_ thing ever created. That heat constantly threatened to make him cry about how great everything was on the shoulders of some of the hottest aliens in the galaxy. Because Tandalujans were scientifically, mathematically, verifiably the _hottest_ species in the galaxy. Totally incompatible with his physiology, but Lance had a feeling he’d enjoy going home with a Tandalujan, even if his airway started closing right after. Rolo pried him away when he got really sloshed, and the trio returned to the ship to sleep off their stupor before takeoff in the morning. Much safer that way. Always fly responsibly.

He should have known the buzz wouldn’t hold the dreams at bay. If anything, they were worse tonight. Lance grasped at his body, sitting up in the blackness of his room and pulling his legs in against tight his chest. Heaving frantic breaths, his eyes looked desperately for a sense of his surroundings, waiting for black lightning from the dark, a painful prod in his side, or powerful arms grasping him roughly. Lance sobbed through the fear, cold sweat sticking the bedding to his skin. He shivered, or perhaps he was just trembling. 

The one saving grace of his dreams was that the memories faded quickly, but unfortunately the emotions and physical sensations remained. Lance couldn’t remember where the cold and pain had come from, or why he had an unrelenting desire to hide under the bed he was sitting on. But a persistent feeling of distant agony, and a gripping fear telling him to make himself small and hide, was strangling him from inside his own chest.

Recognizing the hum of the engines, Lance sucked in a startled breath. The Venture Gained. He was on a ship. Lance fumbled with the bedside light sphere, illuminating his small room in a dim glow as lingering sobs shook from his lungs. He found a metallic bottle of water by his bedside, which he downed gratefully, greedily swallowing air afterward as he struggled to catch his breath. He shivered again in the chill air that lapped against his sweat-soaked skin. Then he saw the note attached to the bottle--a timetable Rolo had written for him to help Lance with his looming hangover.

Maybe the liquor was to blame. Or was it that sinking terror tearing through his center that made his skin crawl so unendurably that forced Lance into action? Perhaps it was a combination of both. Whatever the cause, the brunet boy found himself knocking on Rolo’s door barely two vargas after they returned.

And then, after the fourth rap of his knuckle echoed in the vacuum-like silence of night, the panic set in. What was he _doing_ here? What would Rolo think? What would he say? Lance turned back down the hallway. He could probably make it back to his room before Rolo noticed.

The door creaked open and Lance whipped around, eyes agape. Rolo stepped into the doorway, grasping the inner frame and hanging his head out, bleary eyes blinking. He spied Lance in the hallway, mostly with his left eye since the other seemed to find the dim hallway too bright. 

“Lance?” he rasped. With a tense sigh, he inched toward Rolo in the doorframe. With the younger man in view, Rolo’s eyes widened. “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, man,” Lance muttered in a rush, “you said I could talk with you if I wanted, and I’m probably drunk still, and I just got confused, and clearly this is not the time--”

“Come in.” Lance blinked. 

“Come in?”

“Yeah, come inside,” Rolo muttered in a gravelly voice, standing aside so Lance could pass him and enter the room. Lance took a hesitant step and crossed over the threshold.

It was even darker in the room, so he paused just to one side for Rolo to dial up the lights. Rolo sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for Lance to do the same.

“What’s up?”

Lance considered through the haze of his broiling mind. Did he even know the answer to that question? _I had a bad dream? And I came to find you like a child? Which is how you see me anyway?_ Lance let out another tense sigh, eyes squinting shut. But that wasn’t just a bad dream, and he knew it. The memory of it pressed out from behind his eyelids, waves of terror crashing inside his chest. He held his breath to keep from screaming.

“...Lance?”

“I… Can I hug you?” Lance asked, and immediately regretted it. How needy and desperate could a guy possibly sound? How childish? Kiss it and make it better. Hold me and don’t let go. Lance gasped a breath when his lungs couldn’t handle any more, and his eyes opened hesitantly. 

But, miracle of miracles, Rolo didn’t look at him with the scorn or disgust or confusion he expected. He just nodded with a kind concern knitting his eyebrows.

Rolo shifted closer, and Lance slowly reached under his arms, pulling himself close to the balmy orchid skin, always a few degrees warmer than his own. He knew he was shaking; he begged his body to still, but it refused. Rolo wrapped his arms around Lance’s back as he trembled and pushed back tears. He couldn’t hide the ragged breath that hissed out by Rolo’s left ear. Rolo pulled him closer.

“It’s okay,” Rolo muttered, and Lance bit back a sob. “Hey, it’s okay.”

Lance felt himself squeeze Rolo tighter and distantly worried he was crushing him--though with Rolo’s skin that was probably impossible for him. 

“Lance, can I tell you something?” Rolo asked, and he started, trying to pull away. “No, don’t move, just relax there and listen, okay?” Lance nodded, leaning back in cautiously as Rolo swept his hands up and down his back. “You’re not there anymore.” Lance’s diaphragm squeezed all breath to a sharp halt. “You’re sitting on my bed, in my room. We’re sitting in a room on a ship owned by the man who rescued you. Do you remember that day?”

It took almost half a dobosh of steadying breaths for Lance to answer, “Uh… Honestly, not really. I mean, some parts of it.”

“What do you remember?”

“I remember when Kazrin bent down to look me over, I wondered if he was gonna hit me,” Lance said, coughing a sob and he tried to pull away from Rolo again from the shame, but Rolo held him tight. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that. I don’t think I’ve ever said that before. I’m sorry for thinking that, I know he would never have done that!”

“It’s okay. It’s okay, buddy. Just breathe,” Lance tried, but his lungs seemed to buck when he took in breath. “We both know he wouldn’t have minded you thinking that. Try and remember that he _didn’t_ hit you even though you were afraid. Instead, he brought you here, and you met me. Do you... remember meeting me at all?”

“You showed me the ship. You showed me your room and bunk. Well, _our_ room.”

“Yeah.” Rolo went back to stroking down his back. “It’s probably the most I ever talked back then, because you kept just staring at me and not saying anything.”

“You had grease in your hair,” Lance smiled, leaning into Rolo’s neck and breathing out a steady sigh. “But it’s clean today.”

“Yeah. This is today. And today we spent a lot of credit on colorful drinks and talked to a lot of objectively beautiful people.”

“Oh man, yeah, Tandalujans are so _beautiful_! Did you see that guy I was chatting up?”

“And then kissed.”

“Yeah, I might have done that,” Lance said sheepishly. There were gaps in his memory for lots of reasons, but that one he remembered perfectly.

“Hey, if you hadn’t done it, I would have scooped him up for myself.” Lance chuckled, and then sighed, the tension dripping out of him in a ragged breath as he nestled himself impossibly closer. 

“I didn’t mean to snipe him, or anything.”

“I was doing pretty well for myself at the bar,” Rolo assured, but Lance frowned. “You’re in a safe place now. No one’s gonna hurt you.” Lance was just starting to believe him. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Uh, yeah,” Lance said, regretfully pulling away and turning his head over his shoulder so Rolo couldn’t see his face. “I should probably get back to bed.”

“Lance,” Rolo prodded pulling him back with a pair of heavy hands on his shoulders until he couldn’t look away. “Are you still afraid?”

His face told Rolo all he needed to know. Why couldn’t he hide his feelings when he wanted to?

“You can stay here,” Rolo said, adjusting the sheet, tossing it back against the wall.

“There’s only one bed.”

“You don’t want to be alone, right?” Lance’s throat closed itself off so he couldn’t answer, but he forced himself to nod. “Then you can hug me until you fall asleep.” A part of him wondered if this was a bad idea. Rolo adjusted the lights and sidled into place on the far side of the bed against the wall, drawing Lance backward so he could settle in against Rolo’s side. The warmth seeped into his skin immediately, and Rolo draped the sheet over them both. Oh yeah, this was a _really_ bad idea. But Rolo’s skin was warm and smooth, and he was so far gone. 

And he was safe.


	3. Kierskar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio have a run-in with the Green Lion and it goes about as well as one might expect...

Lashes fluttered lightly as Lance woke, gazing at a span of lilac skin beneath him for barely a fraction of a tick before ripping his face away from Rolo’s chest without thought. Sitting up and away, he had a moment’s regret for the loss of such a beautiful cuddling opportunity, until his half-cooked cheek began to cool in the air from the overhead vents and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Good morning to you, too,” Rolo quipped, sitting up to face him, then shot him a sarcastic pout. “Man, you really know how to make a guy feel special.”

“Sorry. It’s just so hoooooot!” he whined, and then he fully registered what Rolo said. Lance froze, eyes widening, his skin turning an even deeper shade of red. “Don’t say stuff like that to me first thing in the morning!”

“Jumping away from a guy, it’s bound to hurt my feelings, you know?”

“Roooo~loooo…” Lance knocked his head back, hoping the action would obscure some of his embarrassment. Besides, Rolo’s smug smirk was gonna be his downfall.

“I mean, knocking on a guy’s door in the middle of night and then making a break for it first thing in the morning--”

“Oh my--please stop,” whimpered Lance, and Rolo’s hearty chortle just about killed him.

“I’m only joking. Did you sleep alright?”

“Uh… Yeah, I think I did. Thank you.”

“Anytime, Lance. I mean it.”

“Ugh, I did _not_ drink enough water, though,” he added, rubbing his right temple with his hand.

“Yeah, we should get you something to eat, too.” Rolo pulled the sheet off Lance’s back and leaned forward, so close to his face… and then scooted around him, much to Lance’s disappointment. He threw on a vest, and Lance adjusted his pajama bottoms--the only clothing he was wearing he realized--and followed him to the door. 

“I’ll get breakfast going while you grab yourself some water.” He flung open the hatch and Lance stepped outside.

“Thanks, man.” 

“Um… good morning, gentlemen.”

They both froze.

“Nyma,” Lance breathed.

“Guess I shouldn’t be surprised, given how you were hanging off Rolo on the walk back.”

“Nyma, it’s not what you think,” Rolo said, and Lance whipped back to face him. 

“Don’t you dare,” he breathed a warning. 

“Whatever, Lance,” Nyma said, pushing past them both and walking to the forward section. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.” 

Then Rolo called out, “Nyma, he’s been having nightmares again.”

Lance didn’t look at Nyma’s reaction, he didn’t think about what to do next; his body acted on its own. Shoving Rolo’s chest with a shouted curse, Lance stormed aft down the hallway. But Lance didn’t remember storming down the hallway, his mind clearing only as he entered his bedroom. His anger, though, that was still clear as day. He locked the door behind him and sat on his bed, breathing. He was angry. What was he angry about? Rolo. Rolo said something. Rolo said something that _hurt_.

Oh, right. Rolo told Nyma.

Slumping onto his bed, Lance buried his face in the pillow, only coming up for air when he heard some suspicious clinking at his door.

“Don’t pick my lock, Nyma!” he shouted, but the door swung open. Lance huffed and turned on his side so he wouldn’t have to look at her. He felt the bed press in as she sat on the edge, and heard a clink on his bedside table. It was a long while before she spoke, distantly as she faced the doorway at his back..

“You could’ve told me.” 

Lance scoffed involuntarily. “No, I couldn’t.”

“You would’ve told me _before_ ,” she prodded, nudging him with her back.

“Yeah, maybe. But we both know it’s not like before.”

Nyma let out a long sigh, and he saw her lift her chin to the ceiling as she breathed in. She used to do that when they first started fighting, pushing away her anger so she could address a problem sensibly. He actually missed the action when the real problems started. “I’m not going to just pretend everything’s fine with us, Lance. That’s not my style.”

“You’ve made that abundantly clear.”

“But I don’t want you to be in pain, either. We’re not just friends, we’re definitely not lovers. Whatever we are now, it’s not enemies.” Lance didn’t reply. He didn’t have it in him, his energy spent on holding in the hurt and anger, stinging and seething within. “Listen, I won’t make any more cracks about you sleeping in. You’re not lazy. I don’t think you’re lazy. Sleep all you need, okay?”

“Sure,” he managed, and was quite proud of himself for it.

“Okay,” Nyma said, reaching back to rub his shoulder quickly before heading out the door. She locked it from the outside, and Lance almost laughed until he choked on a sob instead.

 

\---------------

 

Siit contacted them via superluminal transceiver to update them on the most current data regarding the lone Lion. But they got paid, so at least they could afford the fuel (and drinks) they’d bought on Tandaluja with credit left in their account. Flying instead to Kierskar on Siit’s instructions took them a bit longer than they originally anticipated, but it gave Lance time to prepare their strategy on the way.

Going up against any of the members of Voltron was risky beyond measure; the crew were well-known for their skill in weapons and technology, even striking a blow to the Galran Central Command Ship, and with it the Emperor himself. Rumor had it that if not for the appearance of the Emperor’s son, the whole fleet might be in shambles after such a successful offensive. 

But another rumor had spread to those who had the right connections--Voltron had lost a member. The loss of a comrade might have fractured the team, to find a Lion on its own for the first time since Voltron had taken to the skies. But either way that loss was fresh for the remaining paladins; Lance filed away the potential heartache in case he needed to exploit it. If there was anything Kazrin taught Lance--besides theft, Cincture, and… well, okay Kazrin had taught Lance basically _everything_ he knew. But above all else, he taught Lance how to read a mark, and how to play them. 

“I’m glad you slept in this morning,” a baritone voice spoke from the lounge door. “Since,” he stepped inside, but hung by the door, “you didn’t come to my room last night.”

Lance took a breath, shifting on the sofa to pull himself into a more seated position. He left his right leg sprawled against the sofa’s back. “I’m fine.”

“Are you really that mad at me?” he asked, crossing to sit at the end of the couch. Lance didn’t look up from his screen, though he could see Rolo in his periphery. “Nyma said you talked.”

“Nyma talked. I mostly listened.”

“Lance,” Rolo breathed, leaning forward as he pleaded with Lance. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

“Don’t.” Lance instinctively withdrew further in the cushion at his back. “It’s not that I’m mad. I just… I talked to you about my dreams because I _trusted_ you. And I came to you the other night because I felt vulnerable, and I wanted to go somewhere I felt safe, and for me… that was you. You don’t feel safe anymore.”

Rolo retreated back against the cushions, though Lance couldn’t read his expression without actually bothering to look.

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Well, maybe when I ask you to keep a secret for me, you should listen next time.”

“If you ever give me the chance again, you mean?” He didn’t have a good response to that. Chances were good he’d never tell Rolo anything personal again, or at least for another three decaphoebs or so. “Lance, I shouldn’t have betrayed your trust. But I hope you know I was honestly trying to help. You came to me so scared, and Nyma’s already been on your case. I know you were worried she’d use it against you, but I thought… I thought if I said something she would lay off.”

Lance hung his head as he dropped his gaze deep into his screen.

“Lance, can you… at least say something? Even if it’s asking me to leave or telling me you hate me?”

Lance chewed painfully on his lip, just short of breaking the skin. “I don’t hate you.”

“I just don’t want you to live your life this way.”

That intrigued him enough to chance a quick glimpse of Rolo’s stricken face. “What way is that?”

“Alone.” 

Lance stared back at Rolo, breath catching in his throat like he’d been struck in the gut. His eyes locked on Rolo’s pained face. It looked a little pathetic, to be honest, his mouth parted open like he wanted to say something more, sadness dripping down his features. Something in Lance actually liked that he wasn’t the only one making pathetic expressions like that. _Yeah, at least I’m making everyone_ equally _miserable_.

“I don’t want you to be alone, Lance. I want you to be that bright boy who got totally sloshed in Stala, but who kissed everyone he met because he couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful and amazing they were. That guy spent his entire night trying to convince every girl he saw that they were special and smart and funny and they had a fabulous future ahead of them.”

“I said all that?” 

Rolo grinned. “You’re a very positive drunk.”

“Huh.” Lance threw on a fake smile. “Maybe I should do it more often.”

Rolo scrutinized his face, unconvinced. “If you’re gonna crash like that when you come down, maybe not. What’s the point of you feeling so happy,” he reasoned, “if you won’t even remember it in the morning?”

“I remember _some_ of it,” Lance insisted, voice raising in pitch. “And… it definitely wasn’t as bad with you there.”

“I really don’t think you should drink like you did on Tandaluja,” Rolo began, leaning in cautiously, “but if you think you can trust me just a little, I would love to be your safe place to land.” 

Good lord, did he have any idea how romantic and _flirty_ he was sometimes? Probably not. It was Rolo. Besides, though flirting was something of an olympic sport for Lance, it was as easy as breathing for his two companions.

“Lance… is it okay if I sit a little closer?” Dammit, Rolo was going to be the end of him. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. After what I did, I completely understand.”

Lance nodded, hesitantly sliding his leg off the sofa, and Rolo carefully scooted a bit closer. There was still a massive gap between them, Rolo looking up questioningly at Lance.

“Are you okay with this?”

Lance wanted to be upset, but he was being that same cautious, caring guy as always, and it was annoying that he couldn’t find it in him to still be pissed. Especially in view of that stupidly adorable pout Rolo did when he was concerned. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

Rolo nodded. “You know, if you wanted another hug, I’d be alright with that. You wouldn’t even need to ask this time. You can hug me whenever you want. But it’s totally your decision.”

Lance cocked his head as he gauged Rolo’s expression. He could seriously hug Rolo whenever he wanted? An open invitation to touch his crush without fear of consequence? This was a very dangerous turn of events. 

“I don’t have to ask?”

“Nope.”

“No questions asked?”

Rolo hummed. “If you want it that way. Sure.” 

Lance carefully scooted next to Rolo, opening his arms to a hug that Rolo slowly returned, sliding his arms around the smaller man.

This time Rolo breathed into _his_ neck, nestling in with a warmth Lance wanted to seep through his skin and into his chest to relieve an ache that had settled there. But something held him back. Lance took a breath to steady himself in an ache of realization. Not that it wasn’t nice to have a strong man’s arms wrapped around him--particularly _this_ strong man, his stubble tickling against Lance’s neck--but they wanted very different things out of this hug and that sullied the experience. A surge pressed up within Lance, an almost unsupressable urge to lay a soft kiss against the span of neck at his left.

Almost.

Sliding his arms out from the bitter embrace, Lance sighed, looking at the back of the sofa and the blank wall behind it. Rolo tried to make eye contact, but Lance wasn’t having it. 

“So, the plan’s ready, what are you working on?”

“Backup plans. I’m worried we might actually have to fight this guy.”

“Don’t you usually give a no-conflict guarantee?” Rolo asked. “I thought you said anything worth doing could be done without a fight.”

“Not today.” Lance looked up at Rolo with a serious expression. “This one’s not a con, Rolo. Today we’re playing real-life Cincture, and I’ve got a nasty feeling these Paladins play like Bo.” Lance paused. “But Bo plays no mercy. That’s not Voltron’s style, friend to the downtrodden and all that… Hey, you remember those stun grenades? You ever get those fixed up?”

“I can get them fixed up by the time we reach Kierskar.”

“Good. Comm up to Nyma and see if she can land on the moon instead of Kierskar.”

“Why?”

“Maybe this is a con after all.”

 

\---------------

 

It wasn’t a good idea, Lance was totally clear on that. It was probably an insane, suicidal, begging-for-death kind of idea. But it also had a chance of working, if the stories about the Paladins rang true.

“Are you sure about this, Lance?” Rolo asked, as he brushed away the wispy tattered shirt Lance had donned and fitted the cuffs over his forearms with a click. Lance winced, but took a breath.

“I’m the only one it fits,” Lance reminded, shifting in his worn-out shoes. “It’s too small for both of you.”

“Besides, we want the one who looks the most weak and frail, right Lance?” Nyma cooed, but the smirk on her face actually seemed genuine today. 

“Thanks, Nyma,” he said with a sloppy grin. “Just hurry it up, man. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can take it off again.”

“Alright,” Rolo said, pressing into a panel on the side. “They’re armed. It’s easy enough to activate when you need it, just press and hold. But make sure your eyes are closed. And don’t hold it too close to your head.”

“I thought the dampeners would take care of the noise.”

“Well... they’re a little glitchy.”

“Rolo…”

“I didn’t have time after retrofitting the stun grenades. They should work?”

“Should?”

“Sixty, forty,” Rolo replied with a shrug, and Lance rolled his eyes. 

“Alright, I think we’re ready. Everyone know what to do?”

“I don’t know!” Nyma cried. “How will I be able to press this button without you calling out directions in my ear?” 

“Yeah, which way are the bay doors, again? Help me, Lance! I can’t navigate without your wisdom!”

Lance smirked, shaking his head. “If this is the one where we all get killed, I swear--”

“Yeah, we know,” Nyma said, “you’ll haunt our ghosts until we die. We get it.”

“Alright, here goes nothing.”

Recording the distress video in advance made things easier, that way Lance and Rolo could be in place when and if the Lion decided to answer it. Then they waited. 

And waited.

Lance was just starting to worry his plan had failed when the comms crackled to life, audio only. The voice was much higher than he expected. 

“Attention, crew of the Venture Gained. This is the Green Paladin. Please explain the nature of the malfunction you are experiencing.”

Nyma was right, she didn’t need Lance over her shoulder to remind her of the plan from here. 

“Crew of the Venture Gained, do you copy?”

Lance shared a look with Rolo, shuffling in place. Rolo put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“Can anybody hear me?”

Nyma opened a channel, now, but the Paladin wouldn’t hear more than static and pre-recorded scraps of nonsense they figured sounded distress-ey and important.

“Ugh,” a frustrated groan echoed through the intercom, and Lance had a momentary pang of regret.

“Rolo, this is clearly a kid we’re dealing with.”

“A kid who’s a Paladin of Voltron. Do us both a favor and _do not_ underestimate him.”

Lance nodded, but nearly jumped out of his skin when Nyma cried out from down the hall, arms naturally fighting the cuffs as panic swelled.

“Whoa!”

Rolo pressed the intercom near the bay doors, the normal comms tied up with fake distress and static. “Nyma! What’s wrong?”

“Sorry, it's fine. We just have some company. I think this thing was cloaked. The kid came out of nowhere. Just landed.” Lance nodded. They must have scouted the landing spot for the Venture Gained in advance to make sure they weren’t a threat. Lance made a mental note to harass Siit for not giving him better specs on the Lions. Or, you know, the color of the Lion they were chasing. 

“Lance, we can still do this without the cuffs,” Rolo offered.

“I am not rejigging the plan twenty ticks before the mark walks through the door,” Lance said, twisting his arms in the cuffs restlessly. 

“I don’t think this is gonna end well, that’s all.”

“I can handle it.” Lance grinned. “Trust me.” Rolo gave a reluctant nod.

“Heads up, boys. The kid’s headed to the bay door.”

“Thanks, Nyma.” Lance gestured to the open wall panel, and Rolo layed down, sliding in to sell the ruse of the malfunction. It wasn’t long before a knock came on the bay door. Lance walked across to answer it, muttering under his breath. “Seriously? Who knocks on a spaceship?”

Answering the door, Lance put on his most concerned face before opening to the thin atmosphere of Kierskar’s moon, making his body small and non-threatening. Which ended up being good, because the child in front of him barely came up to his shoulder when he stood normally. 

“You folks having some trouble?” Then he paused, something like surprise crossing his face. 

“How did you find us?” Lance asked, schooling his features into puzzlement and relief, but with a touch of apprehension as he observed the slight frame filling a full suit of armor, white and black with accented green. There was something about the facial features, some familiar sensation that tickled at the back of his consciousness, but the faceplate distorted it enough that Lance couldn’t place it.

“You gonna let me in, or what?’

“Uh… Rolo, sir?” Lance called. Rolo was already pulling himself from the console--visible from the hatch--and striding forward.

“Let him in, you half-wit,” Rolo barked, and Lance crouched back from the doorway quickly. The Green Paladin’s eyes flicked to the cuffs, but they continued forward.

Concerned, but cautious. Lance could work with that.

“So what are you working on?”

“Our scanner array got nicked in an asteroid belt,” Rolo explained, leading the kid to the open wall panel, the paladin opting to keep their full armor intact despite the obvious atmosphere inside, “and we thought we were fine until the damn thing shorted out. We lost everything but visual tracking. It’s almost impossible to fly a junker like this by sight alone. We didn’t want to risk re-entry, but the moon’s atmosphere was manageable.”

“I couldn’t reach you on your comms,” the Paladin replied, eyes narrowed.

“I’ve been fighting shorts throughout the sensor systems for vargas,” Rolo turned to Lance. “Get me the magna-setter.” He pivoted back toward the white and green-clad youth. “But we thought the comms would stay operational a little longer. If I can’t fix this, the sensors for external atmo and internal life support are going to start getting confused. You know anything about tech?”

The kid positively beamed. “I know a thing or two. I’m not great with hardware, but I’m a whiz with software.”

Rolo suddenly rounded on Lance. “What did I say?” he roared, making a conspicuous show of pressing a remote they’d strapped to his right gauntlet. Despite setting it to the lowest charge available, Lance yelped at the electric current zapping through his arms. Lance gasped, eyes wide. “I asked for a magna-setter!” 

This was the point of the script where Lance was supposed to move, he was supposed to scurry off for the equipment, he was supposed to be gone by now. His muscles seized up, his eyes wide and glassing over. He couldn’t shake the charge that shocked through him, waiting for another blast, cowering from streaks of dark lightning and the pain. _Move! Move dammit!_ Lance distantly wondered if Rolo was right; maybe he couldn’t do this. 

Improvising to save the con, Rolo grabbed Lance by the scruff and tossed him toward a crate by the wall. Lance tripped to the side until he got his feet under him. Far from worried about his acting skills, Lance was concerned the fear he didn’t have to fake would take over. Lance took a silent breath, his heart pounding out of his chest, and pulled the magna-setter from the bin. 

The Paladin watched with an unreadable expression, turning back toward the alien towering over him. “So, is everything okay, mister...?”

“The name’s Rolo,” he replied.

“Pidge,” the kid replied as Lance hesitantly approached, proffering a magnetic welding lance which Rolo snatched from his hands roughly. 

“What do you mean ‘okay’, Pidge?”

“Well, you’re bein’ kinda snappy with this one,” Pidge said, indicating Lance with a flick of amber eyes before staring down Rolo. 

“You just have to motivate them sometimes.”

“Who’s ‘them’?”

“You know,” Rolo prompted, shaking his head. “We should get started on this sensor array.”

“Yeah, I’m still not sure I know what you mean by ‘them’,” Pidge pressed.

“You know,” Rolo said, shrugging his shoulders, “because he’s indentured.”

Pidge’s eyes widened. “Indentured… servant? You’re saying he’s a _slave?_ ”

“Don’t be barbaric,’ Rolo scoffed, reaching into the housing to pull out some wiring. “He owed money, so he’ll have to do hard labor until it’s paid off.”

“And how long will that take him?”

“He’s got forty-one decaphoebs left. Though we’ll probably sell his debt in another ten and trade in for another model.”

“Wow, you’re right. That’s _totally_ different from slavery.” Between trying to breathe off the shock and remember what he was supposed to do next, Lance had time to be secretly impressed by the exchange. He couldn’t help it, he kinda liked the kid. It made what they were about to do pretty despicable. But money’s money, right? 

“Are we gonna have a problem?” Rolo stood to his full height, magnetic lance activated and burning white hot between them. 

“Hey, it’s your ship, man, I’m just here to help fix it. But like I said, I’m better with programs.” Pidge took a easy step away, looking around the open cargo bay, “I think I should take a look at your system, see if something’s overcompensating and frying your circuitry. Maybe I could take a look at the bridge?”

Lance maintained his gaze, fighting the urge to share a look with Rolo. Well, _that_ moved up the timetable considerably. And Rolo had prepared such convincing array damage, too… Hopefully they’d sold the whole slave angle well enough that Lance could take care of the rest. 

“Sure thing,” Rolo said, moving to follow but Pidge waved him off.

“Doesn’t it make more sense for you to stay here and keep working? I mean, we wouldn’t want to waste your talents acting as my tour guide. Your indentured man here can show me, right?”

“Uh…” Rolo looked suspiciously between the two. “He knows the ship, but I’m not sure--”

“Great! I doubt this guy has the skills to weld those leads you’re working on. You’re way more valuable here.”

Rolo took the praise like a pro, artificially puffing up his chest as his character should. “Well, I guess the kid can help you so I can focus here.” He turned on Lance with a pointed finger and a sneer. He tried not to think about Rolo’s face, contorted in anger. It wasn’t a look he liked. “But you better be on your best behavior.”

They didn’t get far before Pidge grabbed his arm, stopping him in the hallway leading to the bridge. Just as planned, if well ahead of schedule. Maybe Lance was better than he gave himself credit for. Hopefully the kid would try to act noble and save him, letting his guard down in the process.

“Alright, what’s your deal?”

Okay, so maybe the kid wasn’t ready to trust him just yet. Lance could work him. One of Kazrin’s rules floated to the top of his consciousness, _In the face of suspicion, always play the role harder._

“E-excuse me?” he stammered to emphasize his timid slave persona.

“Look, I can tell you’re human, even if you’re speaking Galactic Common. How the cheese did you get all the way out here?”

Okay, this was _definitely_ not going the way Lance had expected. His eyes widened in recognition.

“How... how do you know that word?”

“What?”

“Human.” The word came out like a half-hushed whisper, but it caught in his throat. How long had it been since he’d heard that word? When had he last spoken it?

The Paladin shot him a sassy look, one eyebrow raised, then removed the helmet. After a rush of honey hair puffed out of the hood, Lance finally saw why the kid looked so familiar.

“You’re _human_?” Lance was flabbergasted.

“Yeah, and you’re the first one I’ve met out here, other than my friends.” Pidge tucked the helmet under his arm. “You haven’t met any others? An older man, or a boy who looks like me, but just a little older?”

“What?” This was too much. His brain was fogging again. He blinked, trying to clear his mind.

“Look, I’m gonna get you out of here,” Pidge grabbed his elbow and started tugging, and Lance suddenly remembered the cuffs as his arms strained under the stress. Oh, right, the plan. The plan he came up with. The plan to capture a Lion. Yeah, he was definitely going to regret this, but they were already in too deep.

“I can’t leave with these on,” Lance pleaded, raising the cuffs in front of him. “You said you’re good with tech. Can you remove them?” Pidge sighed, looking them over from a couple angles. 

“It looks like they have an access panel here. Hmmm… Give me a couple ticks.” Pidge stepped in close with the helmet still at his side. Pressing away the gut-wrenching guilt, Lance squeezed his eyes shut, pressing and holding to activate a flash of white light and a deafening burst of sound.

Lance held his left ear, squinting from the pain and trying to hold himself up with his right hand in a crouch on the floor. He was sure he would fall when Rolo came into view.

“You okay?” he shouted, sliding to a halt and squatting down beside him and placing a hand on his back to steady the shorter boy. Lance only partially heard him.

Lance plucked a dampener from his right ear as he spoke to Rolo, “This one works,” and then the left, “but this one definitely doesn’t.”

“I told you they were glitchy.”

“Alright,” Nyma congratulated as she strode gracefully toward them. “Smooth as always, Lance. Let’s get this brat off the ship and head back to Ltaras.”

“No,” Lance said, head whipping up and causing an unfortunate dizzy spell. Rolo tried to reach for his head, but Lance swatted his hands away. “Look at this kid. He’s human! Like me.” 

Nyma looked at the tiny Paladin, lying supine on the hallway floor, and then back at Lance. “What’s your point?”

“My point is I couldn’t even remember the word ‘human’ until he said it out loud. I’m a human, and I couldn’t remember that. I couldn’t even recognize my own species, Nyma! Sometimes I get flashes, but…” Lance trailed off. _But it’s not enough_. “Yesterday, there was exactly zero percent chance I would see my homeworld or another human ever again. Today, I met someone like me, and he talked about others. I am not letting this chance slip away.”

“Lance,” Nyma warned, “This wasn’t the plan. We don’t change plans on the fly.”

“Well, we do now.”

“We understand this is important to you,” Rolo piped in. “If you have a new plan in mind, I’m happy to hear it. So what’s the plan?” 

Honestly, he hadn’t gotten further than ‘please don’t throw my one connection to my homeworld out an airlock’. 

“We’ll head to Ltaras like planned,” he said. Glancing down at the passive face of the Green Paladin, Lance continued, “But until we get there, the two of us are gonna have a conversation.”


	4. Venture Gained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is captured, Lance has angst, and Rolance is starting to be a thing!

“Aren’t you a little _young_ to be a Paladin of Voltron?” 

Lance had racked his brain for every possible question he wanted to ask this human Paladin kid. He’d gone through notes, and tracked the possible conversation a thousand ways. He even had a list of prompts to redirect this Pidge kid if they got him off message. To be fair, it wasn’t the most important question on his mind--it wasn’t even on the radar of things he wanted to know. But he wanted to get the kid to open up, so he started with his specialty.

Annoying people until they let something slip. A classic.

“No,” the boy said testily. “No, I’m not.”

“Kinda seems like the fate of the universe should be resting on… much broader, _taller_ shoulders.”

“Give me back my bayard,” the kid threatened, leaning forward in the chair and testing the arm restraints, “and we’ll see if my size matters then.”

“Relax, man, I’m just trying to figure out how a human became some kind of galactic defender.” Lance sauntered around the room, crossing behind the Green Paladin--though his armor had been removed. We’re not exactly well-known around here.”

“Oh, you know how it is,” the kid snarked, “find a magic Lion, get wormholed to a remote corner of the galaxy, start fighting an evil empire.”

Lance crossed back in front of Pidge and blinked, raising one eyebrow. “Yeah, I can guarantee I don’t know how that is.”

“I’m curious, random human space pirate guy,” the kid said with a toss of his head, “did you really care about me being a fellow human, or was that all an act? My head still feels like it’s splitting open, too. So, y’know, thanks for that.”

“I’ll see if I can get you something for the pain,” Lance replied. 

“So which is it? Do you care or not?” Lance bristled. A little harsh, but it was a fair question. _Play it cool, Lance._

“Look, kid, I don’t know you. Of course I’m interested in knowing what you’re doing here, but I’ve gotta think of me and mine first.” He leaned back against the far wall, observing the mark carefully.

“And that includes betraying the only human you’ve probably seen in… how long has it been for you, anyway?”

“You really wanna ask about me?”

“It’s not every day a human who you tried to help flash bangs and ties you to a chair.”

“Let’s stay on topic.”

“Nah, I don’t think so.”

“That’s fine, I can stay here all quintant. I literally have _nothing_ to do but sit here and stare at you.”

Pidge considered him with wary eyes, before jutting out his chin. “The way I see it, you kept me around for one of two reasons. One, you need information about me or the Lion or Voltron, in which case I think I’ll keep my mouth shut. Or two, maybe you’re genuinely interested in me because I’m human. Maybe you just miss Earth.”

“Earth,” Lance breathed. 

“Yeah, Terra Firma.”

“Tierra,” Lance whispered. Bells were jingling in his head. 

“You... “ the kid observed him closely, squirming against the restraints holding arms and legs to the chair. “Did you not… remember what it was called? Crow, how long have you been out here, man?”

“This conversation is about you.”

“How about this? Answer the question, and I’ll answer one for you.” Lance pursed his lips. Equal Exchange was his least favorite style, and he knew it was a real possibility for the sassy kid who called out Rolo’s indentured servant speech with no fear. He didn’t like the idea of answering whatever questions this kid had about his past. But the kid was right about Lance--he was desperate.

“I didn’t even remember I was called a human until you said it.”

“Man, what happened to you?”

“Next question’s mine, squirt,” Lance reminded with a lopsided grin. “You said you came here with others?”

“My friend Hunk, an old friend of my brother’s named Shiro, and Shiro’s friend Keith. How long since you’ve seen another human?”

“No idea.”

“That’s your answer? How about a rough estimate?”

Lance expelled an aggravated sigh. “If I knew, I’d tell you. A long time. I don’t even know how old I am.”

“Well, the time measurements are different out here. Probably hard to convert Earth time.”

“You actually need to know Earth time for that, kid.”

“My name is Pidge.”

“Pidge.”

“What’s your name, anyway?”

“My turn again. You said you found a magic Lion. Was it on Earth?”

“Yeah, one of them was. What’s your name?”

“Lance. How did you wormhole out here?”

“The Lion did it.”

“What do you mean the Lion did it?”

“My turn,” Pidge said with a smirk. Shooting a rueful stare Pidge’s way, Lance felt like he was caught in a game of Speed Cincture, and it wasn’t exactly his strong suit. “How’d you become a space pirate?”

“I was picked up by a conman, he taught me everything he knew.”

“Kinda feel like there’s more to that particular story.”

“Probably more to that magic Lion story, too. But we’re just asking questions, and I answered yours.” Lance walked further forward, arms crossing his chest. “So what do you mean the Lion made a wormhole?”

“The Lion wanted to find the other Lions, so it… just created it.”

“The Lions have the ability to create wormholes powerful enough to reach Earth.”

“Is that a question?”

“Of course not,” Lance said, “It’s your turn.” Obviously.

“How did you meet the conman?”

Dammit.

Lance took a breath. “He bought me.”

Pidge’s squinted eyes shot open. “So that whole indentured thing wasn’t an act?”

“My turn. Have you been back to Earth since the Lion brought you here?”

“Uh…” Pidge seemed to take a moment to shake off the previous revelation before moving on. “No.”

“Care to expand?”

“We’re kinda being hunted by the Galra, so wormholing home is just asking for an attack Earth isn’t prepared for.” Lance nodded. Pidge just sat.

“Did you have another question?” he asked, raising a single eyebrow.

“I already asked it. The indentured thing, that really happened to you?”

“No,” Lance said, “but only because I didn’t have debt to work off.”

“You were a slave,” Pidge said, and the boy actually looked a bit heartbroken. Lance pressed away the ache in his chest. 

“I know. I was pretty convincing, right?” Lance asked with a smile he really tried to mean, hoping to lighten the mood. “Have you contacted Earth at all? Your families? Friends?”

“Uh...” Pidge considered for a moment. “Communication would have to go through a wormhole to be done in real-time, and we kinda need the power to fight the Galra.”

“It’s a power issue?”

“What can I say?” Pidge shrugged his lips. “It’s far.” Eyes tossing up for a moment, Pidge decided on a question, “I noticed right away that you speak Galactic Standard, not English or another Earth language. I can tell through the translator. I mean, it’s an ingenious piece of tech. I hear English, but the chips always have a kind of accent depending on the language, even though it’s not really an accent. It’s like I can hear Galactic Standard and I understand English, though it has a really limited number of languages it’s capable of handling in real-time--”

“Is there gonna be a question in here sometime?”

“At some point you must have spoken a language on Earth. Just wondering if you speak English or something else. You recognized words from a couple languages.”

Lance gave Pidge a level stare. “I don’t think I speak anything anymore. Just Galactic Standard, like everybody.”

“I know a couple phrases in a couple of languages. Earth languages, I mean. Could I try?”

His stare turned wary. “That’s not a question, and it’s not your turn.”

“It’s an extension of my language question, and I’d still like to try.” Lance narrowed his eyes further. “Look, you’re the one with all the questions about Earth. Don’t you want to know what language you spoke?” 

The kid was just gonna say some stupid words. I mean, what could it hurt, right?

“Alright,” Lance conceded with a nod. “But make it quick. I still have questions.”

“Hallo. Ich bin Pidge. Ich komme von der Erde. Wie ist dein Name? Wie geht’s?” Pidge paused, but Lance just shrugged back. “Priveet. Meenya zavoot Pidge. Kak tvoye imya? Kak vash?”

“I mean, it sounds kinda cool,” Lance offered, “but no, I’ve got nothing.”

“Alright,” Pidge scrunched up his face in determination. “Ciao. Mi chiamo Pidge. Vengo dalla Terra. Come ti chiami? Come stai?” Lance blinked in recognition. “Wait, did that sound right?”

“No, it sounds _wrong_. Are you sure you’re pronouncing it right?”

“Of course I am!” Pidge nearly shrieked in indignation. “Look, Italian is a romance language. But maybe you speak Portuguese or Spanish. Hola. Me llamo Pidge. Soy de la Tierra. Como te llama?”

“That’s…” Lance’s head was fuzzy. “I don’t know. That’s... something.” He felt far away now, floating behind his body.

“Uh, sure. Uh, I dunno a lot of Spanish. Gracias. De nada. Feliz Cumpleanos. Feliz Navidad. Comprende? Perdon! Puede ayudarme?” 

_Ayuda--_

Something in Lance shattered.

Where was he? Why were there were so many sounds in his head? The sounds were wrong, but his head knew them. And then the sounds weren’t words, they were screams. He had to be gone. He had to go somewhere else. He had to be safe. 

“Lance!” 

Part of his brain registered some distant speech, but he was moving. Moving away from the sounds. But the sounds were in his head, and they were still screaming. And the feel of them was in his chest, and it wanted to scream, too.

“Watch the kid, I’ll go after him.”

Away. Away from everyone. Run away. Alone is safety. 

“Lance, stop!”

Stay away. I’m not safe. I’m not alone. Keep them away. Fight. Fight. 

**Fight.**

“Ugghhhh!” 

Standing. He was standing. He was holding something. There was a smell in the air, a burnt smell. 

Lance looked around the room, taking it in for the first time. When had he walked to the kitchen? Peering down at his right hand, he saw the thing he was holding. A knife. There was movement in front of him, and for a moment Lance stepped back, though his backside quickly collided with the countertop. He brandished the knife, pulling in tight breaths, grappling with his own mind to clear it. 

Uncurling from a ball on the floor, Rolo clutched the left side of his face with one gauntleted arm as he struggled to his feet. He hissed in a breath as he pulled his hand away to gaze at something on its surface. And then Lance saw it.

Blood.

A milky blue gash lay fresh across his left brow, a smaller incision streaking his cheek below it. Lance looked back down at the knife. He hadn’t-... 

He didn’t-...

Rolo approached him, crouching low as he reached his hands out to take the knife from Lance’s hand. It practically dropped from his loose grasp. His mind was still fuzzy. How did he get here? Why was Rolo making that face?

“Okay, Lance,” Rolo said with wide, cautious eyes, “you don’t have to be afraid of me, okay? You’re safe now.” 

Lance grabbed the counter behind him for support, both hands digging into the metallic surface. “What happened?” His eyes flicked up to the fresh blue blood marring Rolo’s face. “What did I do?”

“I’m fine, Lance,” Rolo said, taking a hesitant step forward. “Are _you_ okay?”

“You’re bleeding,” he offered, not wanting to answer that question. He didn’t even want to _think_ about that question.

“I’m okay,” he insisted, wiping drips of cerulean from his cheek and failing to hide the hiss of pain when he grazed the still-fresh cut. 

“Don’t treat me like a child, Rolo!” Taking a steadying breath, he continued, “I’m not an idiot. I hurt you.”

“It wasn’t you.”

“Just. Stop. You don’t have to make me feel better. I’m a grown ass man, alright?! Anyway, we should be taking care of you.” Lance turned, crouching to search a lower hatch for a spare cloth as his head shrieked. In an extra stroke of luck, he found a cloth that was already blue. Wetting the cloth in the sink, he walked back to gently press it against Rolo’s brow. He winced. “I could’ve taken your eye, dude.”

At first it looked like Rolo wouldn’t reply, chewing his inner lip as Lance dabbed the surface of the slice now bisecting the taller man’s eyebrow. But, perhaps coming to some conclusion, he finally opened his mouth. “I don’t mean to treat you like a child.”

That’s what he wanted to say? After Lance sliced him in the face?!

“Please,” scoffed Lance, “you will _always_ see me as that frightened kid. I bet you walked in here with your defenses down because all you could see was that scrawny little slave boy.”

“I came in because I was scared for you.”

Lance glared. “You should have been scared _of_ me.”

“Lance, listen to me.” He pulled his eyes from the wounds he’d inflicted for a moment to gaze directly at those deep eyes. “I don’t see you as a kid. That’s kind of my _problem_. If I did, maybe I could do the responsible thing and stay away when you’re in that state. But I care too much about you, so I ran here without thinking. This isn’t your fault. It’s on me.”

“That’s some impressive mental gymnastics, there, Rolo. I’m still the one that cut you.”

“You’re not listening to me,” Rolo growled out. “I’m trying to tell you that I _definitely_ don’t see you as a kid.”

“Yeah, I get it. Whatever you have to tell yourself.”

“I’m trying to say--” Rolo threw his hands down in frustration, “Dammit, Lance, you are the most infuriating guy in the _galaxy_ , sometimes, have I ever told you that?”

“Nope. I think Nyma told me once, though.”

“Nyma…” Rolo bit his lip and became very interested in his boots. “Right. Look, just forget everything I’ve said. Let’s get a med kit.” Rolo turned away, but Lance grasped at his gauntlet and held him in place.

“What just happened?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re being really weird. You just said your typical flirty romantic crap and then suddenly you’re all embarrassed or something? That’s not like you. Spill.”

“You’re just still foggy from the episode,” Rolo said, but he looked flustered. “Come on, I need medical treatment. And I think we got some stims and seds, depending on if you want to clear that brain of yours, or just turn it off for awhile.”

Rolo crossed the room to the storage locker on the opposite wall, opening its doors and rifling through its contents. Finding a black kit, the pair sat on the kitchen bench, straddling it so they faced each other. Lance found a salve that wouldn’t react with Rolo’s blood and carefully applied it to larger wound first.

“You didn’t seem surprised,” Lance said. Rolo lifted and eyebrow and then winced. “Stay still, moron. I just told you how romantic and flirty you were being. You do it all the time, but I just kinda figured it was natural, that you didn’t even realize you were doing it.”

“I thought I said to forget everything I said?”

“And when I mentioned Nyma you got all quiet.” Dabbing the area with a cloth in one hand, Lance carefully spread the salve across the smaller wound with the other. “Do you… flirt with me on purpose?”

“Lance…” Rolo tried to look him in the face, but he saw those deep eggplant eyes flick down to his mouth before escaping to gaze at a blank span of wall to Lance’s left.

Uh, he knew that look.

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“You were in a relationship with one of us, and it ended badly. We can’t… I didn’t want to put you through another breakup like that.”

Lance scoffed, head scrunching back and shaking. “What, and I don’t get a say?”

“You weren’t even interested in me.”

“I cannot _believe_ this! Rolo, I had a crush on you for two _decaphoebs_ before I started dating Nyma, you gorgeous idiot!” Lance smacked Rolo’s arm a little harder than he intended to punctuate his statement.

There. He said it.

A few ticks later Rolo’s face still hadn’t moved from shock and stunned silence. Lance leaned back, worried he’d hurt him again. He pulled his gaze higher, forcing himself to look at the cerulean scars he’d inflicted on Rolo, blue only brightened by the salve.

“You… what?”

Lance’s lips “You heard me.”

“This… I don’t know what to say.” 

“Don’t freak out on me, Rolo.” The taller man scrunched his face in consternation, unfortunately disturbing the wound on his brow yet again. Lance wanted to reach out, but instead he shifted back with a miserable look. Rolo grasped his shoulders, and bringing Lance back.

“It’s been awhile for me, too,” he admitted with a sad smile. “When you got together with Nyma, it was impossible to ignore anymore.”

“Rolo, I just sliced you open! You shouldn’t want to be with me.”

“And yet here we are.” 

There it was again, Rolo’s eyes flicking down to Lance’s lips. This time they lingered for a moment before he pulled his gaze away. 

Lance crossed the distance.

Rolo pulled away.

“This is the worst timing possible.”

“You’re only saying that because we just trapped a legendary fighter and its magic robot Lion ship in our cargo bay, and then I blacked out and sliced open your face.” Rolo smirked at him, trying to relax the muscles of his left cheek but clearly having trouble with it in the sight of Lance’s own beaming smile.

“So if I kiss you right now,” Rolo asked in a breathy voice, “you’re not gonna forget it by tomorrow?”

“Trust me, I’m going to remember this.” Lance grinned. “And so are you.”

He instigated again, but this time Rolo didn’t pull away. Pressing soft flesh together, Lance followed his lips with his body, scooting forward so he wouldn’t have to break away any time soon. Rolo wrapped him up in those powerful forearms and Lance could have wept. How could he have let a single moment pass without Rolo’s arms around him? How could he have waited _two decaphoebs for this?!_

Rolo opened his mouth and Lance gratefully swept in, surprised by the roughness of Rolo’s tongue, but smirking at the angular shape that suited the rest of his hawkish features. A hot breath escaped Rolo when Lance’s hands brushed over the dark geometric markings on each arm, fingers tracing up and down in gentle brushstrokes along his skin. Lance grinned, the only warning before he hooked his right leg over Rolo’s, pulling himself up onto his lap. He heard Rolo gasp, but Lance was not giving quarter. Aggressive wasn’t his style in Cincture, but wrapped around Rolo, he found a certain enjoyment in it.

Rolo pulled away for breath, and Lance would have been disappointed... if he hadn’t buried his face in Lance’s neck, eliciting a moan that Lance thought sounded positively _sinful_. He felt Rolo tug his shirt over his arm, the cool metal of a gold ring pressing against his neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps on his tan skin as Rolo’s kisses traveled along his collarbone and out to his shoulder. Throaty groan escaping him, Lance thought it only appropriate to slide his right hand under Rolo’s helmet cap, tossing the thing on the table and running his hand along the short stubble of the back of his head, up until he could grab the longer locks on the top. A tuft of feathery soft hair in his hand, Lance tugged gently, proceeding to scrape his fingers through the strands gently. It was Rolo’s turn to moan. It just wasn’t _right_ to hide this head of hair away.

He understood why, though, fingers brushing across the long scar on the left side of Rolo’s head. Rolo pulled back on the contact, giving Lance a mournful look. Lance just smiled, stroking the scar, hoping to take away some of Rolo’s sadness. But Lance’s face fell when his hand went to Rolo’s cheek, thumbing around the cut gently, regret coating his features. He had just reached up to caress the skin around the cut on Rolo’s brow when a lavender hand caught his own, bringing them both down to rest both on Lance’s leg. Rolo smiled gently, as he brushed his thumb across the back of Lance’s hand and he understood the message. _You don’t get to look that sad if I don’t._

And Rolo leaned back in, and for once Lance’s brain felt completely clear, in tune with each motion, each breath, each moan. Was he allowed to be this happy? He clung to Rolo and sighed as he soaked in the warmth of orchid skin and the familiar smell of engine grease.


	5. Return to Ltaras

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best laid plans start to unravel, and Rolo and Lance don't have enough alone time...

Rolo insisted they not move too fast while Lance was recovering--a fact that made Lance pout openly for a full three doboshes to no result--but he was also worried about Lance’s dreams. Promising Rolo he’d come down the hall if he had a nightmare wasn’t enough, apparently. Lance hoped they could at least share a bed like they had after Stala, but apparently _that_ was too fast for Rolo, too. 

So Lance dragged a cot to Rolo’s room--per his instructions--and started setting it up when Rolo walked in. Lance stood up, hopeful when Rolo crossed right to Lance and pushed him back on the bed. Until he frustratingly turned around and made the cot up for himself and settled in. Lance felt a pang of regret watching Rolo lie there to his right, his legs hanging off the end past his knees, with two fresh scars glistening across his sharp features. But soon the lights were off and he drifted off to sleep. 

If he dreamed, he didn’t remember it. In fact, it was the most restful night’s sleep Lance had in a long time. When he finally woke, Rolo wasn’t on the cot, though he soon realized why. Squeezing into a pillow that hadn’t been in his arms when he fell asleep, Lance peered behind him to view the source of warm breath tickling against his neck. It wasn’t too hot today--Rolo must have adjusted the environmentals--so Lance stayed snuggled into Rolo’s chest, soaking in his warmth until he finally stirred.

Against Rolo’s strenuous objections--and Nyma’s he was pleased to hear--Lance decided to talk to Pidge again the next day. 

“I know you’re trying to look after me,” Lance told Nyma over breakfast. Rolo was watching the prisoner now; he and Nyma switching off guard duty so Lance wouldn’t have to confront the kid again. The night duty had lasted longer than originally planned, however, thanks to a fit of nightmares that Lance couldn’t remember having.

“He tried to break open a wall panel and sabotage the ship when I went on a toilet break last night,” Nyma said wearily. “That kid is dangerous. Besides, you should’ve seen your face coming out of that room yesterday.”

“That wasn’t his fault,” Lance assured her as he scarfed a healthy portion of porridge into his mouth. “I dunno, he was speaking some language, and I think I used to know it…. You know, before.”

Nyma yawned. “I don’t like the kid, and I don’t like you putting yourself in danger.”

“What can he do?” Lance paused. “Wait, he’s tied up again, right?”

“That’s not what I mean, Lance. You really don’t get what you look like when you check out like that,” Nyma said, voice dropping as she stared into her porridge. “It’s _scary_. It’s like looking at a ghost of you.”

“I’m not gonna let it go that far this time,” Lance promised. “If the conversation heads that way, I’ll get out of their in a tick.” 

Nyma returned to her food, stirring absently, then smirked and looked up at Lance as he spooned a mouthful into his face.

“So. You and Rolo, huh?”

Lance coughed on his breakfast, reaching for his water and knocking the bottle off the table. The canister self-closed, but inconveniently rolled halfway across the room. Nyma laughed as he chased it, sputtering on aspirated porridge. 

“Okay, that was just bad timing,” Lance insisted after a good four tick drink to clear his throat. “Totally coincidental. Nothing happened between us last night. We just slept, like after Stala.”

“ _Please_ ,” Nyma said with cocked head and a raised brow. “Rolo’s had a thing for you forever, no matter how hard he tries to hide it, but now he’s got those misty eyes anytime he sees you. Or even hears your name. It’s kinda pathetic.”

“You knew Rolo had a thing for me? I feel so _betrayed_ right now.”

“Honestly, I…” Nyma sighed. “I never told you this, but I thought you had a thing for him when we were together. And at the end, every time we… _talked_ about things, I felt like you wished you were with him instead.” 

Lance’s eyes were already blown wide, but at that his jaw dropped open. “Nyma, I’m sorry. I… If I’m being honest, I _did_ have a thing for him before we got together. But you’ve gotta believe me, once we were a couple, I was totally caught up in you. You were beautiful and smart and so good with people and funny and... I wanted nothing more than for you to love me the way I loved you. And I’m sorry that I pushed that on you. I know when I was frustrated I definitely said some things about that. But you don’t have to love me that way to care, and I know that now.”

Nyma blinked wistfully, or maybe just out of exhaustion. “Thanks for saying that.”

Lance smirked and decided to take a chance.

“And yeah, we totally made out yesterday, and it was _awesome_.” 

Nyma just laughed. No anger, no dismissal. Lance watched her with a smile. Maybe they could be friends again, after all.

“So you don’t hate me for kissing him?”

“As weird as it sounds, I kinda like you for Rolo.”

“You like _me <\i> for _Rolo <\i>?” Lance clarified.__

__“Sure. You make him lighten up a lot.”_ _

__“That’s a very interesting phrasing, Nyma,” he said in an accusing tone. “You know us both! Shouldn’t you have said you like us for each other? It’s almost like you’re saying you don’t like him for me.”_ _

__“Stop freaking out, Lance. I like you both for each other. But the guy’s been pining for a long time and I’m glad he’s finally happy.” Lance leaned back._ _

__“He said it was mostly when we started dating.” He indicated between the pair of them with a hand._ _

__Nyma snorted. “Aww, he was embarrassed to tell you. That’s cute.”_ _

__“Tell me what?”_ _

__“Honestly, I think he’s been falling for you since you were kids.”_ _

__“What?” Lance leaned across the table, face inching close to Nyma’s. “What did he say, exactly?”_ _

__“It wasn't anything specific, but he and I talked a lot about you growing up. Well, mostly he talked about you and I listened.”_ _

__“Seriously?”_ _

__“But after a couple decaphoebs he just stopped. I thought maybe he’d given up on you, or lost interest. He was growing up and discovering his sexuality and spending a lot of time hitting on every guy he saw.” Nyma paused for dramatic effect, clearly enjoying leaving Lance hanging. “But now I wonder if part of him was waiting for you. And hoping you’d feel the same someday.”_ _

__“Nyma!” Lance whined._ _

__What was he supposed to say to _that?__ _

__He was spared a response by an incoming comm request, beeping lightly from the bench to Nyma’s right. She reached over and plucked up her data screen to enable a video call._ _

__“Siit!” she exclaimed, raising eyebrows expectantly at Lance before smiling back at the screen. “So good to see you again!” Lance came around the table to sit at her side._ _

__“Nyma! Lance! So good to see you both!”_ _

__Nyma shot Lance a significant look. “Gee, Siit, you know I think Lance had something he wanted to talk to you about. Isn't that right, Lance?” She tossed her most obviously fake innocent smile at Lance. _Traitor…__ _

__“You know, I think I should talk to Siit about that in person, Nyma. Don’t you think?”_ _

__“Oh, really?” Nyma asked innocently. “But you know how Siit enjoys surprises.” Lance kneed her under the table and they both had difficulty keeping their faces innocent while silently leg battling. Lance ended the battle decisively, stepping hard on Nyma's foot and even the boot didn't keep her from wincing._ _

__“Yeah, well, the surprise will be better handled in person. I’m sorry, Siit, but it’ll have to wait.”_ _

__“I take it you have good news, then?”_ _

__“Well, we have one Green Lion headed your way,” Nyma confirmed reaching down covertly to rub her injured foot, “so I’d say that’s good news.”_ _

__“Excellent!” Siit clapped his four-fingered hands. “When will you arrive?”_ _

__“We’re already en route,” Lance said, “so we should be there in about ten vargas.”_ _

__“I’ll reach out to my contact, then,” the short Grayma replied. “I look forward to seeing you both!”_ _

__“You too, Siit! Bye!” Nyma shut off the screen and she elbowed his side, sparking another nudging battle, this time free from prying eyes. She was going _down.__ _

__

__\---------------_ _

__

__“You’re not gonna be mad if I say I’m worried about you, right?”_ _

__“I get it. You _definitely_ don’t see me as a kid anymore. You gave me plenty of evidence of that yesterday. I mean, if you _did_ see me as a kid, I’d be pretty concerned about--”_ _

__“You’re making me very uncomfortable,” Rolo said in his lowest voice. “Seriously, please forget I ever said that. It’s creeping me out.”_ _

__Lance smiled, pulling in close and he was pleased to see the surprise in Rolo’s eyes when he looped his arms around the taller man’s neck. “You know, you’ve had your tongue in my mouth,” Lance reasoned. “So it kinda seems like this should pale in comparison. Besides, you said I could hug you whenever I wanted.”_ _

__“I did say that.”_ _

__“No questions asked.”_ _

__Rolo smiled and knocked his head to one side. “I guess a deal’s a deal.”_ _

__Lance lifted his chin, offering his lips for a kiss and Rolo responded, gently pulling away barely a tick later._ _

__Sighing, Lance continued, “Also, you’ve had your tongue in my mouth, so it kinda seems like you don’t have to kiss me like there are children present.”_ _

__“Well, you have to go in there in a dobosh,” Rolo said, jutting his chin to indicate the door to their makeshift holding center. “So I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to be all hot and bothered.”_ _

__“Ooh, yeah. Good call.”_ _

__“I welded all the panels shut after Nyma’s adventures last night, but clear the room first just in case. The kid’s wiry.” Lance nodded, and Rolo reluctantly stepped away, Lance's arms slipping from his shoulders. “Good luck.”_ _

__“Well, ‘nothing ventured’, right?”_ _

__Rolo smiled wistfully, “Yeah. Go get ‘im.”_ _

__Lance stepped inside. The kid was still strapped to the chair. Or rather, he was strapped to the chair again, since he knew they’d both escorted the kid to the bathroom and brought him food and water a couple times since he last entered this room. Plus, there was the whole trying-to-sabotage-the-ship fiasco. Lance double-checked the restraints, but didn’t feel like standing, so he crossed his legs and settled down against front wall across from their tiny prisoner._ _

__“You okay?” Pidge asked._ _

__“Nice of you to be concerned.”_ _

__“The girl, Nyma? She read me the riot act after you left. I’m sorry for whatever I did to make you react like that.”_ _

__“It’s not really your fault.” Lance sighed. “Look, here’s the short version. I was kidnapped from Earth as a kid. The Galra experimented on me, and then sold me off as a slave when I wasn’t useful anymore. I bounced around a couple of places before Kazrin bought me. I only know that because Kazrin had my file. I don’t remember most of what happened to me and it’s probably better that way.”_ _

__“I get it. Shiro… my brother’s friend I mentioned? He was kidnapped by the Galra and experimented on, so… I get it. He lost basically a whole year of his life.”_ _

__“This is probably a stupid question, but what's a year?”_ _

__“Oh!” Pidge exclaimed, looking sheepish. “It’s close to a decaphoeb, I guess.”_ _

__“So, I think it’s best if we don’t talk about my past anymore, because speaking whatever words you did kinda set something off in me.”_ _

__“Okay, I definitely didn’t mean to trigger you.” Pidge nodded, then cocked a head and laid on the sass. “So what’s it today? Questions about the Lion? More info on my friends?”_ _

__“I wanna know how you plan to get home.”_ _

__Pidge just stared, then turned his head away to gaze at the wall to his left with a knotted brow. “You don't want to ask anything about Voltron, do you? You really only brought me along to ask about Earth?”_ _

__“The original plan was to dump you on the surface of the Kierskar, or technically its moon, with a rescue beacon.”_ _

__“Well, I guess I should thank you for changing your mind.” Lance looked at Pidge expectantly. “Oh, how we’re getting home! Well, unfortunately, I don’t think we can until we defeat the Galra. You really miss Earth, huh? Even though you can’t remember it?”_ _

__“I know it’s dumb, but I feel like my life was peaceful then. Even though I can’t really remember.” Lance frowned. “Maybe it’s just my brain inventing something good to make up for all the bad. But it's something to hold onto, even if it isn't real.”_ _

__“Well, I can’t imagine your childhood could be worse than what came after it. Sorry,” Pidge added when Lance’s gaze drifted away._ _

__“So things are peaceful on earth? No war, no slaves?”_ _

__“Well…” Pidge seemed to consider that and didn’t seem to like what he got. “I mean, there are definitely still some problems on Earth. But most people lead pretty happy lives.”_ _

__“So… Earth is just like everywhere else?” It was almost disappointing._ _

__“It’s still home, though,” Pidge said, “It’s still a place full of people like us, the place we came from, the place that gave us life. Earth will always be home, and that makes it special.”_ _

__“If it’s so special, why aren’t you trying to get back there?”_ _

__“Well, Earth is still in danger from the Galra, and we might lead them back if we ever tried.”_ _

__“Please, you aren’t even trying to _contact_ Earth. Don’t you have people you left behind? People who would want to know what happened to you?” Pidge’s eyes sunk to the floor. “So it’s not because of some power issue.”_ _

__“Well... travel or communication really would take a massive amount of power, but… you kinda need to know exactly where you’re going first.” Lance quirked an eyebrow. “I mean, technically I think the Lion remembers where Earth is, but I don’t have what you’d call _exact_ coordinates.”_ _

__“So the Lions have the info but won’t give it to you. Basically, they won’t help you get home until you defeat the Galra.”_ _

__“Well… I don’t think that’s _exactly_ how it works,” Pidge huffed. “Besides, I do have my own reasons for staying.”_ _

__“Is it because of the older man, and the boy that looks like you but a little older?”_ _

__“Holy crow!” Pidge looked impressed. “I’m not gonna lie, you’re pretty astute for a space pirate.”_ _

__“What, you didn’t think I was listening? Listening is literally the only reason I’m in here.”_ _

__“Well, that’s my dad and brother. They were with Shiro exploring one of the moons in our solar system when they were captured. I was actually on Kierskar looking for info about nano-thermite titanium-boron. I recently found video of Matt--that’s my brother--being taken from the Galra, and whoever did it used that compound in an explosion. I’m thinking freedom fighters.”_ _

__“I wish I could help you. I mean, I’ve _posed_ as a rebel before… but Nyma might have some contacts. Maybe I’ll see what she can drum up for you.”_ _

__“Really?” Pidge grinned. It was kinda cute. “And I would help you get home, if you let me go.”_ _

__“Yeah, about that,” Lance said, pulling himself up to lean standing against the wall. “You’re not gonna want to help me... once we turn your Lion over to the Galra.”_ _

__“What?!” Pidge screamed, and actually tried to stand, legs still strapped to the chair, which immediately clattered back onto the metal floor. “You can’t do that! If we lose a Lion, we can’t form Voltron!”_ _

__“Word’s out on that one,” Lance said. “You can’t form Voltron anyway. You’re missing a paladin after the assault on the Central Command ship.”_ _

__“But we have his Lion. We can… we can get him back, or find a new pilot.” Frustrated tears were brimming in Pidge’s eyes as he stared daggers back at Lance. “Why would you even help the Galra after what they did to you?”_ _

__Lance shrugged. “The money.”_ _

__“Money?” Pidge shouted, glaring up at Lance and making him feel like absolute scum. “Just for money?!”_ _

__“I told you, I’m taking care of me and mine. It isn’t personal, Pidge. I like you, and I’d love to help.” He couldn’t help, he reminded himself. There was nothing he could do. It almost felt like the truth. “For what it’s worth, if I’d known you before, I would have never taken the job. But it’s too late to turn back now.” Lance crossed to the door._ _

__“It’s not too late! You take that Lion away, and you’re condemning the galaxy. The universe, even!” The words shot through his back and Lance took a deep breath, steeling himself._ _

__“The Universe has gone on without Voltron for thousands of decaphoebs. It’ll survive without it.”_ _

__“You’re just giving up on Earth?”_ _

__Lance paused at the door, hand raised. “No. But you said it yourself, you don’t know where it is either. So I’m gonna have to go my own way.” Lance knocked on the door and Rolo let him out of the hatch, shutting it behind him with a thud._ _

__“Anything?” he asked, stepping forward cautiously._ _

__“I’m fine, dude. And also… no, not really.” He tried to smile to hide his disappointment. “The kid doesn’t know where Earth is. It seems like the Lions might have stored the info somewhere, but the paladins don’t have it. No coordinates. And that’s coming from a self-proclaimed software whiz.”_ _

__“I’m sorry, Lance.”_ _

__“It’s alright. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’m a human from Earth. I think I might have spoken a language called Spanish at some point and maybe English, too? Earth is technologically less advanced than most places in the known galaxy, and it has its problems, but apparently it’s home.”_ _

__Rolo smiled fondly, his dark eyes glistening. “Ever the optimist.”_ _

__“He did tell me there were other humans kidnapped from Earth,” Lance said, “at least a couple of whom were probably adults at the time. So who knows? Maybe I’ll find someone else who can help me.”_ _

__“I’ll help you find someone. Whatever we have to do,” Rolo promised. “You should go make sure Nyma gets some sleep, though. We kinda kept her up all night.”_ _

__“Not the way I _wanted_ to keep her up all night,” Lance said with a devilish grin. “We should _definitely_ talk about that.”_ _

__“You’re killing me, here,” Rolo said with a weary sigh, and Lance grinned, biting the corner of his lip. He watched Rolo’s eyes flit over his lips, pausing to take in that single pointed tooth with Lance’s own lip in its grasp. He grinned even wider. Impatient, Lance stepped forward and pulled Rolo’s neck down to meet him._ _

__The guy seemed pretty interested in that bite, so Lance gently dragged at Rolo’s lower lip with his teeth and smiled as he let out a shuddering breath. This was gonna be fun. He pressed forward and Rolo stumbled for a moment before leaning in, hands wandering down Lance’s exposed side. He stepped forward, knee sliding up Lance’s inner thigh as his hands firmly gripped Lance’s backside. Lance wrapped his legs tight around Rolo’s middle as he slammed his back into the wall next to the door._ _

__“Holy crow!” Lance gasped, and Rolo pulled back for a moment._ _

__“I’m sorry! Are you okay?”_ _

__“‘Am I okay?’ Yes! Now, get back here,” he whined, pulling down on Rolo’s neck with his arms until their lips collided so fast they bumped teeth._ _

__“Relax,” Rolo moaned in that deep voice of his, and Lance whimpered as Rolo nudged his bottom lip with his own--Lance’s now bright red in contrast to Rolo’s deep purple. Lance wrapped an arm around his shoulder blades, pulling him closer and feeling desire heating his body faster than Rolo’s warmth ever could. He definitely wasn’t going to last._ _

__“Can we…?” Lance let the question hang in the air, looking up feverishly at Rolo. Those dark eyes squinted closed, lower lashes covering his upper lid as he sighed._ _

__“Aside from me needing to guard this door, we haven’t talked about our… biological differences, you know?”_ _

__“I know you pretty well, Rolo,” Lance pleaded._ _

__“And yet what you don’t know _could_ hurt you,” Rolo said, pulling Lance away from the wall. He let out a long frustrated groan, which made Rolo laugh regretfully. “I know. Me, too. But we have to be safe. You’re allergic to the pheromones Nyma’s people give off during sex, and she would’ve been killed by the protection you were using. There are things we have to figure out first.”_ _

__“I seriously think I might die,” Lance said, letting out another whimper as he slid down out of Rolo’s grasp. Sighing, he scraped his right hand roughly across his scalp dragging his fingers through his hair before lifting a finger accusingly at Rolo. “After this whole Lion business, first stop is a compatibility scan, alright?”_ _

__“Of course!” Rolo frowned. “Honestly, I’m a little offended you think I want to wait more than you do.”_ _

__“You’re just so crowing _responsible_!” Lance cried._ _

__“I don’t think you’re using that word right.”_ _

__“Hey, I just learned it. Give me a break.”_ _

__“Go check on Nyma,” Rolo said, and Lance waved him off as he started down the passageway._ _

__“I’m going! I’m going!” he shouted, when he’d much rather be coming._ _

__

__\---------------_ _

__

__Nyma didn’t get to sleep long. A few vargas in, the ship banked sharply, shaking with the effort of maintaining course. Lance ran to the cockpit, stumbling as the ship jerked around him. When he got inside, he gazed out the main viewscreen, and didn’t like what he saw._ _

__“Guys?” he called over intercom. “We have a _huge problem!_ Nyma, wake up right now! The Galra have us in a gravity beam!” Lance frantically shut down the controls. How had the sensors not picked that cruiser up? He powered down the engines so they wouldn’t strain uselessly against an impossible force. _ _

__Nyma was at his side in half a dobosh. “Looks like they got impatient to get that Lion. This is why we were supposed to bring it to a third party. No double-cross.” She had her info screen up. “Nothing from Siit. Also, we haven’t been paid.”_ _

__“They’re stealing the damn Lion!” Lance howled._ _

__“Siit’s Galra contact must have played him.”_ _

__“We’ll be lucky if all they do is not pay us,” Lance warned. “They can charge us with collusion, they did it to a crew five phoebs back in the Valurian system.”_ _

__“I’ve talked myself out of worse,” Nyma said._ _

__“You’ve talked yourself out of _similar_. Not worse.”_ _

__“We could have been _executed_ , Lance.”_ _

__“We weren’t dealing with the _Galra_ , Nyma.”_ _

__“What’s the play, Lance?” Rolo interrupted. Apparently the comms were still open ship-wide. Lance sighed._ _

__“We’ll be right down.” He closed off the comms. “We have to discuss this where the kid can’t hear.” Nyma nodded, following him down the hallways and into the cargo bay. They both looked up at the Green Lion surrounded in its spherical shield, hanging in the magnafield above the floor--once the answer to all their problems, now the source of them. Rolo was at the hatch._ _

__“I assume you didn’t want to talk in front of the kid,” he said._ _

__“I don’t think we’re getting out of this one,” Lance said. “And we have a prisoner on board. You know what the Galra will do him if they find him here. Especially because he’s a Paladin.”_ _

__“I don’t like it either, Lance,” Nyma said, “but what exactly are you suggesting?”_ _

__“The kid and I have a rapport. Who knows, maybe I could… convince him to help us.”_ _

__Nyma and Rolo exchanged a glance._ _

__“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” Rolo asked, voice raising in pitch along with his eyebrows._ _

__“The Lion can fit more people. The kid told me it took four of them from Earth through a wormhole. It can fit us. And it has stealth tech.”_ _

__“We’re abandoning the Venture Gained?” Rolo made a face reflected by Lance and Nyma, grief-stricken and sorrowful beyond measure._ _

__“It’s alright,” Lance said. “The ship isn’t what saved us. Kazrin did. Kazrin was what made this ship home for us. And you two make it home for me now. Wherever we end up, it’s home for me if we’re together.”_ _

__Rolo placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder and then Nyma’s. Lance looked over at Nyma, who reached out to ruffle his hair. The trio smiled sadly together, his home._ _

__‘“You should both grab anything you need,” Lance said. “We’ve only got a couple doboshes before we land and it won’t take long for them break in. I’ll talk to the kid.” They both nodded and sprinted off without hesitation. Lance ripped open the door and headed straight for Pidge’s restraints._ _

__“What the cheese is going on out there? You said the Galra are here?”_ _

__“We’re getting out of here,” Lance said, freeing both Pidge’s arms. “The Galra betrayed us.”_ _

__“Yeah, imagine being betrayed by an evil empire!”_ _

__“Shut up, Pidge, I’m trying to help you!”_ _

__“Kinda seems like I’m helping _you_. You need me to fly you out of here, right?” Lance worked the restraints at his legs. Once the second one was off Pidge did something a little unexpected. Pouncing like a Lion himself, he launched himself at Lance._ _

__The world went black for Lance for a moment, and he wasn’t sure how long before he came to. When he did, Pidge was standing away from him, muttering, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”_ _

__Lance didn’t know what kind of face he was making, but he closed his jaw and raked a hand across his face, sitting up. Pidge offered a hand and Lance retreated instinctively. Pidge recoiled, horror etched in the lines of his youthful face._ _

__“I’m really sorry, Lance.”_ _

__“I’m trying to keep you alive,” Lance growled, trying to catch his breath. “If the Galra find you, they’ll kill you!”_ _

__“Lance, what did he do?!” Rolo roared as he came barrelling into the room._ _

__“It’s fine!” he shouted, jumping to his feet, then rounded on Pidge. “Look, I could’ve taken my chances with the Galra, let them have the Lion for nothing, and you. But I have a no-conflict guarantee on my plans. And despite my best efforts, this one would end with you dead. So now we’re _all_ risking our deaths, just so we don’t have to live with getting you tortured and killed. So shut up and follow Rolo and get that Lion in the air!!”_ _

__Lance ran out of the room, calling out to let Rolo know where he was going. The Venture Gained bucked as it landed. Crow! He had only a few moments. Sprinting to his room, he grabbed the Cincture board from beside his bed, pulled a collection of photos off the wall and stuffed them inside the drawer of Cincture pieces. Then he shoved the bed away from the wall with his foot and kicked twice to loosen a false panel behind it, grabbing the bag from inside the wall. He stuffed his data screen a few more keepsakes into it before leaving his room for the last time, not bothering to glance back. He was running down the hall when he heard the cutting from the bay._ _

__“Lance, hurry it up!” he heard Pidge’s voice call over the intercom. So they were in the ship. When he broke through the doorway to the cargo bay, he saw nothing. No Lion. “Just keep running!”_ _

__Right. Cloaking._ _

__A few strides more and he was in the field, the Lion bursting into view. Rolo was waiting to show him to the hatch and he was inside in a matter of doboshes. Panting along with him, Rolo gestured to a small pile of belongings and Lance dropped his bag there, sliding the Cincture board inside._ _

__“You remembered--” he began, whipping back around to face the others._ _

__“Kazrin’s stockpile from the kitchen?” Nyma asked, kicking a bag tucked beside the pilot seat on the right side of the cockpit. “Right here.”_ _

__“Anything we’ve forgotten at this point is lost,” Lance said, approaching Pidge in the pilot’s seat. He saw the bayard had been retrieved, as well as his armor, set aside for now. “You’re a smart boy, you got any ideas how to get us out of here safely?”_ _

__Pidge quirked an eyebrow and twisted a thin neck to see Lance more clearly. “Uh, this might not be the time, but… I’m actually a girl.”_ _

__“... What?!” Lance gasped. “I’m usually a way better judge of these things…”_ _

__“You’re right, this isn’t the time,” Nyma said. “Can you just blast your way out?”_ _

__“I think we should wait until they finish cutting hatch open,” Lance said with a shake of his head. “They can’t see us and then we have the element of surprise. They were pulling us in facing front, so we should be able to drop down and proceed straight forward, assuming they haven’t shut the bay doors already.”_ _

__“I thought you wanted _my_ advice?”_ _

__“Sorry,” Lance replied._ _

__“No, you’re right,” Pidge said. “And if the bay doors are closed, I can take care of that, too.”_ _

__They didn’t have to wait long. The hatch beneath the Lion’s feet dropped out, but the Lion stay suspended in air--not by the magna field, but on its own power. The workers below looked puzzled, which was just fine by them. Pidge gently navigated the Lion through the opening, keeping output to a minimum so no one would hear the engines’ hum. But it wasn’t long before troops on the ground started shooting blindly. Invisible did not mean silent._ _

__“Cloaking’s more useful in space, I bet,” Lance remarked._ _

__“Yeah, I’m working on it!” Pidge yelled indignantly as she dropped the cloak and put on some speed, bursting through the bay doors in a hail of laserfire. The Galra were already mustering fighters, but the Green Lion was light and maneuverable. The trio of passengers clung to any surface they could as Pidge ducked fire and rolled. Lance said a silent prayer for his Cincture board to stay in one piece--well, 442 pieces, technically._ _

__Biting through the small fighters and punching a hole in a nearby wing of the cruiser, Pidge used the distraction to activate the cloak and secret them away through the blackness of space._ _

__“Nice flying, Pidge,” Lance said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.”_ _

__“Uh… I really hope you’re not trying to flirt with me right now.”_ _

__“Not that it’s not my style,” Lance admitted, jutting a thumb in Rolo’s direction and winking down at her, “but I’m kinda already taken.”_ _


	6. Puiga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang's all here! And, of course, the smut you've all been waiting for...

It was a somber ride after fleeing the Galra. Nyma was exhausted and napping against the bag of Kazrin’s valuables. Lance and Rolo took about 10 doboshes after they were safe to inventory their belongings and were pleased to see they hadn’t forgotten anything major. He thought Rolo might cry when Lance showed him the old pictures Kazrin had taken of their cadre, including one of he and Rolo fighting over engine equipment, taken right after Lance had arrived.

But eventually the adrenaline from their daring escape had worn off and the reality of their situation sank in. No one had spoken for half a varga at least. Lance was snuggled up against Rolo, laying back against his partially bare chest as he watched Nyma sleep. Pidge hadn’t tried to get them to talk, apparently understanding their need for some solitude, despite the crowded quarters of the cockpit. 

Lance gradually felt Rolo’s breathing begin to change behind him, taking in quicker, deeper breaths. Shifting against him, Lance leaned his head back to look at Rolo’s face, his view filled mostly by a lavender chin from this angle. 

“You okay?” Lance whispered.

“I’ll be fine,” Rolo answered with a sad smile, his voice rumbling deep in his chest against Lance’s back. 

“I asked if you were okay _now_ ,” Lance said, then echoed Rolo's signature line, “It’s okay if you’re not.” The tall man wrapped his long arms tighter across Lance’s chest and pulled him in close, breathing in Lance’s hair and tickling his scalp as he exhaled, ruffling Lance’s brown locks. 

“I was just thinking how quickly I went from my life being perfect to losing everything I’ve ever known.”

“Oh, just that?” Lance teased. Rolo’s lips pursed into some caricature of a smirk, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. “You haven’t lost everything, though. Nyma’s here. I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Rolo didn’t respond for a long while, gazing off at Nyma. Lance rocked his body side to side, and Rolo’s along with him, hoping to jar something loose. Rolo ultimately settled on, “Thank you for saving those pictures.” 

“I have the digitals on the data screen,” Lance said. He squinted up at the stubbled amethyst skin. “But it’s not really about that, is it?”

“Kazrin took those photos.” Lance nodded. “Losing the Venture Gained...it’s just like losing him all over again.” Lance sat up, and Rolo released his grasp around his chest. Lance slid around until he was facing Rolo. 

“I miss him, too.” He snaked his arms around Rolo and just hugged him close until Pidge cleared her throat. 

“Yeah, so… we’re coming up on the Castleship.” 

Lance snuck a quick kiss before standing up to see out the main viewscreen. 

“Whoa…” He leaned forward over Pidge’s left shoulder to spy the massive… was _ship_ the right word for it? It was more like a _space station_. But he could clearly see the engine pods. He bet that thing could really move when it wanted to. 

“I know, right?” Pidge agreed. Suddenly there was a face filling viewscreen. A orange-mustachioed face. 

“Number four!” the man exclaimed. “Allura and the others have just gone down to the bay to meet you and your, uh… guests.”

A nice way of putting it. Lance had been present for the somewhat awkward explanation of their situation, but Pidge had vouched for them. Hopefully she could convince the others that he, Rolo, and Nyma wouldn’t be a threat to them. 

“Thanks, Coran. _And don’t call me that_ ,” Pidge added in an exasperated tone.

“Yes, right, Pidge!” Coran replied as if he’d just remembered. “We do have some news, which I’m sure Allura will happily explain. Welcome back!”

The viewscreen cleared, and Pidge piloted the Lion smoothly to one of the four outer spires. Lance woke Nyma gently and the trio gathered together, awaiting their fate.

 

\---------------

 

All in all, Lance thought it could’ve gone worse.

But it could’ve gone better, too.

“So you’re the space pirates who kidnapped Pidge,” a dark-haired man about Lance’s age had asked as soon as they stepped off the Lion into the large bay, sporting armor with red accents.

“Uh, first of all, the name’s Lance,” he corrected. 

“Nyma,” she said with a raised finger, and Rolo pointed to his own chest.

“Rolo.”

“And secondly, _wow_. That was, like, _vargas_ ago,” Lance said coolly. “Are we still holding a grudge about that? Let it go, man.”

“You almost gave Pidge up to the Galra!”

“Keith, relax,” Pidge interrupted, stepping between them and leaning forward in a stance that would have been intimidating in a much taller person. “In case you couldn’t tell, Lance is _human_. He only took me prisoner to learn about Earth. He never wanted the Galra to get me. As soon as the Galra ambushed us, he dropped everything to keep me safe.”

“So a thank you might be nice,” Lance said, bending to the right of Pidge so he could shoot Keith a dazzling smile unhindered. Rolo huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes, Nyma shaking her head with a smirk.

“You’re kidding, right?” Keith asked, turning to a yellow-armored man and Pidge for support but meeting only shrugs. “I’m not thanking you for--”

“Keith,” a woman interrupted. A _stunning_ woman. She wore full paladin armor like Pidge but with blue accents, pure white hair tied back in a high bun, with sparkling purple within blue eyes and rich bronze skin adorned with pink cheek markings. 

“I am Princess Allura of Altea, and the Black Paladin of Voltron.”

“WHAT?” Pidge yelled a surprisingly powerful shout for so small a person. Lance actually covered his ears. “When did that happen?”

“Black accepted her a couple vargas ago,” the broad man with dark hair and white-and-yellow armor offered. “Hunk, by the way.”

“I told you it wasn’t meant to be me,” Keith added.

“Well, Lance, Rolo, Nyma,” the princess addressed them with a commanding air. “While we do appreciate that you ultimately decided to release Pidge, you must understand our hesitation in trusting any of you, given your previous actions.”

“We do understand,” Rolo said, stepping forward to Lance’s right. “But for what it’s worth, and it may not seem like it, we do live by a code. And it doesn’t include letting innocent people die, no matter the circumstances.” 

“Well, I am grateful to hear that. Though for now I’m unsure what to do with you.” She stepped forward and regarded them with a studious expression. “It seems the three of you lost your ship when the Galra attacked. Perhaps we can provide you transport home?” 

Lance peered over at Rolo on his right, then over his left shoulder at Nyma who pursed her lips in a frown. 

“With all due respect Princess Allura,” Lance said, “that ship was our only home.”

“Oh, man,” Hunk moaned. “They gave up their home to help Pidge? Thanks, you guys.”

“You’re welcome!” Lance beamed, then turned to Rolo. “I think I’m gonna like this guy.”

“Come on, Allura, can’t we let them stay for a little?” the cheerful Paladin asked.

“Hunk’s right,” Pidge said. “At least until they figure something out?”

“Is this a Stockholm Syndrome thing?” Keith asked, confusion pinching his features, crossing his arms as he glared at the trio. Lance had a feeling he wasn’t going to like that guy as much as Hunk.

“No!” Pidge shouted in indignation, then squinted as if considering. “Maybe… Whatever, I’m not saying they’re great people--”

“Hey!” Lance yelled.

“--but they deserve better than to have everything taken from them by the Galra.”

“A fate none deserve and too many experience,” Allura said. “Very well. We will prepare quarters for you all for the night.”

“Uh, if it’s not too much trouble, can we share a room?” Lance knocked a head back at Rolo. Allura’s face was priceless.

“Oh! Yes! Yes, of course,” she said, smiling far too brightly. “We can _certainly_ accommodate you.” Her voice must have raised almost an octave, before dropping back to her usual assertive tone. “Well... eat and rest and we will discuss your fate at a later time.”

Pidge showed them around, though it quickly became apparent that the Castleship was massive beyond what they could memorize in a fifteen dobosh tour. She picked the trio a pair of rooms in a remote section of the castle. It was a little smaller than his room on the Venture Gained, but only by half a pace on one end, and the bed was slightly bigger which suited him just fine. Lance and Rolo unloaded their belongings while Nyma went down to the galley for what they assumed was lunch? But could really be anything at this point. They joined her afterward by Pidge’s escort--since Nyma had gotten lost--and were pleased to find that the broad kid named Hunk was also an excellent cook. It was better than porridge, no matter how much spice he added.

“So, what are we supposed to do now?” Lance asked, sitting fitfully on the edge of their shared bed, leg bouncing as he chewed his lip.

Rolo hummed, drawing out some clothing and placing it in a drawer by the bed so he had better access to everything below it. “You mean other than putting the shattered pieces of our life back together?”

“We can’t spend _all day_ doing that,” Lance whined. 

“Do you wanna play Cincture?”

“Really? You’re _asking_ for me to destroy you again?” 

“Sure,” Rolo said, drawing out his data screen and checking its condition. “Unless…” Rolo shot him a meaningful look, “you had something else in mind?”

Lance half sighed a laugh, his hand tapping anxiously back and forth on his knee. “I’d love to, but…”

“Yeah, it kinda looks like you don’t want to be here.” Rolo frowned. “I’m not making you nervous, am I? Because I don’t want to pressure you. We don’t even have to share a room if you--”

“It’s not that. I… I feel kinda antsy,” Lance admitted. He tried to still his hand, but he just ended up hugging his arms and bouncing his feet like mad. “I feel like at any minute something’s gonna happen. And when it does…” Lance sighed. “I think I gotta get out of here for a bit. I feel trapped. I can’t be here anymore, Rolo, I have to get out of here.” He felt his voice raising in volume, but he couldn’t stop it. His brain wasn’t foggy yet, but if the buzzing in his head didn’t go away, it soon would be.

Rolo dropped the data pad on the bed, and grabbed Lance’s hand, who looked up as Rolo drew him to his feet and walked him to the door. He tapped the door controls, a swish of air pressing against them, their hair fluttering as the door opened. 

“So, let’s get out of here.” Rolo motioned to the door and Lance smiled, laying a hand briefly on Rolos’ shoulder as he stepped through, making his way down the hallway to his right. “Where are we going exactly?” Rolo asked, struggling to catch up to Lance’s pace before falling in beside him.

“I don’t care,” Lance said. “I just need to move around.”

“But you’re okay? You’re still here?”

“I don’t usually talk when I blank out, you know that.”

“But sometimes you talk too much just before you do.” The pair came to a intersection and decided to turn left this time. 

“I just have to remind my body that I’m in control, that anytime I want I can stand up and walk away.” Rolo nodded slowly as he sauntered next to him. “Thanks for coming. Part of me was too worried to go walking around alone.”

“It’s a big ship full of people we don’t really know,” Rolo offered, leading them down another left.

“Paladins!” Allura’s voice called over the intercom, and Lance tried not to jump, but froze instead. Rolo leaned in front of him to catch his eye and placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. “We have received a distress call from Puiga! The Galra have returned!”

“Maybe we should…” Rolo began.

“Yeah.”

Lance started as Rolo laced their fingers together, relaxing into the touch as they sprinted back the way they had come. Halfway down the second hallway a strange tingling sensation pressed through their skin and they both stopped short. 

“Was that--?” Lance began.

“Probably. Some kind of faster than light jump.”

“Wait,” Lance tugged Rolo back. “We didn’t come from that hallway.”

“Yes we did.”

“We turned left at the end.”

“We turned right and then left and then right again.”

“No, we turned right then left and then left! Right?”

“Oh boy,” Rolo groaned. 

“Let’s just pick one,” Lance said, exasperation hissing through his words.

“How?”

“This way feels good to me,” Lance offered with a shrug.

“We are not following your gut.”

“You have a better idea?” Rolo sighed and Lance flashed a grin. “Thought so.”

“If we both get killed,” Rolo said, but Lance finished it with a laugh.

“You’ll haunt me ‘til the day I die. I know.” He squeezed their twined fingers and the pair set off down the hallway. 

But it was _definitely_ not the right way.

 

\---------------

 

 _“Attention Paladins of Voltron. This is Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon, Emperor Pro Tem of the Galra Empire. Surrender now, or you_ will _be destroyed.”_

 _“We’ve been set up!”_ Pidge cried.

 _“Evasive maneuvers!”_ Keith’s voice erupted through the ship. _“Everyone, watch your back!”_

 _“It seems they’re sending out more fighters!”_ Allura cried out. _“Pidge! Hunk! Focus on the left flank. Keith, the right flank is yours! I will handle the center force.”_

They heard the Paladin’s cries as they snaked through hallways, coming out in one of the ship bays, a giant blue Lion standing in a looming crouch in front of them.

“Well, I’m pretty sure this isn’t our room,” Rolo said, swinging his head to meet Lance’s gaze.

“Not one word,” Lance warned. As he turned to leave, a flash of light filled the room. They turned back to see the eyes of the mechanical Lion glowing to life, twinkling beneath a spherical shield shrouding it in hexagonal plates of energy. Lance squinted at it. “Weird. Does it feel like this thing is staring you?”

Rolo looked up at the Lion, then back at Lance.

“No. Not really.”

Lance walked a few paces to the left. “Yeah, it’s eyes are totally following me.” Biting his lip, Lance stepped forward until he was a few paces from the edge of the field.

Rolo caught his arm, and Lance jumped. “Sorry. I just-- we can’t be in here. They don’t like us as it is. They catch us with one of their Lions, and they’ll kick us out faster than a Krisk can take a drink.”

 _“Pidge! Behind you!”_ Hunk’s voice echoed through the chamber.

Lance deflated and took a step back. “Yeah, I know. I know that. I was just curious, is all. Let’s get out of here.” The pair turned and walked back to the door.

A massive crash filled the room, as the Lion bounded after them, landing a pace from Lance and almost knocking them both to the ground. The pair whipped around to survey the Lion, who settled back and stared at Lance expectantly. 

“Is it supposed to move on its own like that?” Rolo asked

“I don’t know, man.”

 _“Where’s Allura?!”_ Pidge shouted.

 _“I’m having difficulty with the controls,”_ she replied, tension in her voice. “They respond much differently than the Blue Lion. Keith, move in and we’ll work as a pair.”

“Rolo, it’s definitely looking at me,” Lance said suddenly as they listened to the battle raging around them. “It’s kinda weird, but, I think it wants me to come to it.”

“It’s a ship, Lance.”

“It’s a _magical_ ship that moves on its own. And come on, man, you’ve heard the stories.” Lance stepped forward. 

“There’s no such thing as magic.”

“Well, really awesome tech that we don’t understand, then,” Lance replied, inching closer.

 _“There’s too many of them!”_ Pidge cried.

 _“Hunk, Pidge,”_ Allura called, _“regroup closer to the central force and we’ll attack in formation!”_

“How are you gonna get through the shield?” Rolo asked, stepping in behind him.

“I dunno,” Lance said, gently tapping the surface of the forcefield. It burst in a flash, and Lance stumbled back into Rolo’s arms, his heart pounding. 

“Did it just… open for you?” 

“I don’t know,” Lance said. “Maybe it always does that?”

“That’s exactly what it did for Pidge,” Rolo said, openly gawking at the smaller man, and Lance didn’t like it one bit. “From the time we brought it on board, that forcefield protected it, and it only let up when Pidge approached it. Because… she was its Paladin.” 

“Why are you looking at me like that? Stop looking at me like that.”

“Maybe,” Rolo said with a shrug, “maybe you should try to go inside.”

“What?”

 _“We need to get closer to the ship!”_ Allura called. _“These fighters are a distraction. Keith, pave a way through for the rest of us. Ahh!”_

 _“Allura!”_ Pidge shouted, there were three ticks of deathly silence.

_“I’m alright! But we need to get to that ship!”_

“You want me to go inside that thing?”

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do,” Rolo said, “But I think the Lion… just chose you.”

“What?’ The gravity of that statement started to sink in. “Rolo, I don’t want to be a Paladin of Voltron!”

“And you don’t have to be if that’s really what you want,” he said, stepping up to Lance and putting an arm around him. “But if you did want to help them, well, you _are_ the best strategist I know.”

“Cincture is not war.” Lance shook his head violently. What was Rolo even saying? 

“Isn’t it? It’s meant to be a war strategy game,” Rolo said, then smirked. “Besides, you did say you wanted to get out of here for awhile.”

“I think you know I didn’t mean out of the safety of my bedroom and into a warzone!”

The felt the engines buzz.

_“Need some help?”_

Allura yelled back. _“Thank you, Coran!”_

He nodded. “If you want to, then do it,” Rolo said. “If not, then let’s go. I’m right there with you, either way.”

Lance looked up at the Lion, still staring down at him with glowing yellow eyes. Was he crazy? He had to be crazy, right? What person in his right mind would actually _want_ to pilot a giant robot Lion in a space battle against the Galra? A knot clenched in his stomach. He’d avoided the Galra as much as possible, limiting jobs where he could, because a part of him was still very much afraid of what they’d done to him. And even more afraid of what they could still do.

 _“Good job, everyone!”_ Allura called, _“Now let’s turn our attention on the main ship!”_

Anything worth doing could be done without a fight, though, right? That’s the way he’d lived his life. But this was the _Galra Empire_. There was no reasoning with a force like theirs. They were Bo Thice and the rest of the galaxy had to face them with half their pieces missing. But Voltron did change things, as much as he didn’t want to admit it back when it threatened his peace and his payday.

Then the ship bucked beneath their feet, tossing Rolo and Lance tumbling to the ground. Rolo grabbed him on the way down, bracing Lance’s fall with his body. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, watching Rolo visibly wince as he climbed off him. Lance grabbed his arm and tried to hoist him up, and Rolo slowly followed to his feet. Looking up at Rolo’s face, the fine blue scars still raw and tender and the Castleship still bucking under heavy fire, Lance knew he’d already made his decision. 

_I’m gonna look out for me and mine. Just like always._

 

\---------------

 

It was pretty surreal. He’d flown the Venture Gained thousands of times, but it was nothing like the Blue Lion. His head tickled as soon as he touched the controls, and everything lit up in response to him. Though the controls were foreign, he knew which to press, the knowledge calling to him like remembering a dream. His body knew what to do even if his brain couldn’t sort it all out.

Blue roared when he activated the engines, and he laughed. Together they sped out of the castle to join the others. 

_“Uh!”_ Keith cried out in a hail of fighter blasts. Lance was getting close, now.

_“We’re way outnumbered!” _Pidge shouted. _“Allura, what do we do?”___

___“Normally I would say we need to form Voltron,”_ she replied, _“but we’re short a Lion.”__ _

__“Not anymore!” Crow, he couldn’t have timed that any better himself, as he zoomed toward the defending Lions. He took a shot at fighter behind Keith and was very pleased not to hit the Red Paladin in the process. He definitely wouldn’t’ve lived that down._ _

___“LANCE?!?”_ _ _

__“Nice to see you, too, Pidge!”_ _

___“Yes!_ Hunk laughed. _“Awesome!”__ _

___“Do you even know how to fly that thing?”_ _ _

__Lance groaned. “I literally lived on a spaceship, Keith. Of course I know how to fly.”_ _

___“We’re all glad to see you in our own way,”_ Allura said. _“Now let’s get in there and fight!”__ _

__But fight they didn’t. Lance had no sooner appeared than the fleet jumped away, waves of fighters disappearing until their endless horizon was empty of all but the distant twinkling of stars._ _

___“Huh,”_ Pidge began, trailing off for a moment, _“I guess they were worried about us forming Voltron?__ _

__“Oh, please, he was totally scouting you guys,” Lance interjected. “He wanted to observe your teamwork and see if you’d replaced your missing Paladin. He’ll definitely be back.”_ _

___“Then I am doubly grateful for your timing, Lance,”_ Allura continued, _“but we should discuss this on the ship. Thank you for joining us.”__ _

___Joining us._ _ _

__What exactly had he gotten himself into?_ _

__

__\---------------_ _

__

__The others were more open to the trio after Lance was chosen by Blue, inviting them all to a celebratory dinner and chatting about their plans to defeat Lotor, and some things about Earth. Pidge gave a condensed and extremely censored version of his background--completely omitting any mention of him being a slave or a Galra experiment--for which he was grateful. But it meant they stopped asking him about cultural references he didn’t understand, since from Pidge’s description Lance had just been away from Earth too long to remember._ _

__He left the party first, exhausted beyond belief. Flying blue was energizing in its way, but the fear he’d felt this morning had caught up to him. And in spite of his best efforts, he still cringed at Pidge’s face when she frowned, flashes of her tackling him to the floor knocking him out of step with the rest of the group. Excusing himself, Lance made his way back to their quarters--turning down the wrong hallway twice and accidentally walking into Nyma’s room before he eventually found his own. He took three steps inside and collapsed on the bed._ _

__The door swished open a few doboshes later, Lance still lying face down, sprawled diagonally across its surface. He rolled over onto his back, and Rolo sat on the edge beside him and fell back onto the bed._ _

__“So,” Rolo said, turning his head to face Lance, “long day.”_ _

__Lance laughed wearily. “Yeah. I keep forgetting it was just this morning that I was talking to Nyma in the kitchen about you having a crush on me since we were kids.”_ _

__Rolo started. “You were talking about what?”_ _

__“Relax,” Lance laughed. “She just said she suspected it, not that she was sure. Beside, I think it’s cute.”_ _

__“Lance,” Rolo warned._ _

__“I’m kidding,” he replied, flipping over onto Rolo’s chest and trailing his fingers over the skin beneath his vest. Rolo shuddered. “So… we made a promise about a compatibility scan?”_ _

__

__***************_ _

__

__“As soon as the Lion business was taken care of,” Rolo agreed. “I think this definitely qualifies.”_ _

__“I really don’t want to wait,” Lance whispered as his eyes--once focused on Rolo’s face--drifted down to watch the fingers lazily exploring Rolo’s chest. “Or… maybe there’s some other things we could try until then?” He grinned, sitting up on his knees and moving in close, fingers creeping further beneath the vest and sneaking around to wander across the bumps of his spine. Lance pressed his chest into Rolo, nuzzling against the nape of Rolo’s neck, breathing in his scent. Rolo shuddered._ _

__“Apparently I _do_ know how to make a guy feel special,” Lance spoke into his skin, his lips trailing north, nibbling softly at Rolo’s stubbled jawline. Rolo’s eyes drooped closed with a contented moan that thrummed through his chest directly into Lance’s. Moving slowly with the pace of his own breath, Rolo lifted an arm to embrace Lance’s thin frame. Still journeying up Rolo’s back, Lance’s hands stopped at the shoulderblades, his fingertips pressing into the hot skin beneath them as Rolo’s right arm suddenly encircled him. Lance smiled, relaxing into his touch.._ _

__“If your hormones end up giving me a rash or something, you’re the one explaining it to everyone,” Rolo accused, voice low and rough, lids still closed blissfully._ _

__“Don’t ruin the mood,” Lance groaned._ _

__Rolo tightened his embrace, his free arm grasping Lance at the waist to start the spin, rotating Lance under him and shoving him back on the mattress in a heartbeat. Lance shrieked in surprise. Rolo took a breath, right arm sliding up from behind Lance’s back to cup his head._ _

__“You alright, there?” he asked, struggling to fill his voice with concern and instead dripping with seduction._ _

__“So damn flirty,” Lance replied breathlessly, giving a confirming nod. Rolo smiled, bringing a knee forward between Lance’s legs and putting the barest pressure on his crotch. Lance arched towards him, eyes wide._ _

__“How’s that for your mood, _little man_?” Rolo smirked, and Lance was shocked to find his eyes could widen further._ _

__“Holy cr-…,” the now familiar exclamation almost fell from his lips, cut short as Rolo covered them with his own. Lance lifted his hands to brush over the plane of purple chest above him, wisps of soft white hair caressing his face, their breaths becoming ragged as they moved together. Rolo’s fingers threaded through Lance’s walnut locks, gripping and tugging them back into the mattress, his chin lifting into the air with a gasp. Mouth open and panting, Rolo swept his tongue forward with a deep growl, Lance whimpering as Rolo’s knee smoothly pressed forward. Rolo’s thigh rubbed steadily against his bulge, and Lance’s body screamed at him for more friction, more contact, more stimulation._ _

__His body felt like molten iron, hot and pliable under the strong hands of a welder. His clothes were were constricting now, sweat sticking to his skin, his crotch feeling like it would burst. Lance’s mind was fuzzing over from the stimulation, and yet he was sharp and present. Rolo broke away abruptly, a thin line of indigo-tinged saliva connecting his puffed purple lips. Steamy breaths mixed in the air, warming the small space between them._ _

__Lance gaped up at Rolo, overwhelmed by misty hot lavender skin, eyes fogging and lids flickering open and shut, heaving heated breaths. His body squirmed from the loss of contact, his hips shifting toward Rolo in a slow rhythm. Rolo licked his lower lip, breaking the small band of saliva, the sight not helping to clear the daze from Lance’s mind. He whined at Rolo, biting down on his lip with a canine in frustration, lifting an arm to trail along the lilac skin of Rolo’s neck, grazing a golden earring and watching Rolo shiver with the contact._ _

__Lance lifted his other arm to wrap around Rolo’s neck and tugged it downward. Rolo shifted his leg back in response, lowering his hips on top of Lance’s. Rolo set a new pace for them, grinding together as their breaths turned ragged. Feeling heat rising in him, pleasure swept through Lance, moaning into Rolo’s white locks in needy mewls._ _

__He definitely wouldn’t hold out much longer. He’d wanted this for so long, they both had, and all that tension begged for release. Gasping at the searing rhythm Rolo was building, Lance felt close to combusting. He clung to Rolo, feeling a trickle of precum as Rolo buried his face in Lance’s neck. Lance panted through the groans Rolo laid at his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. A low groan escaping between deep plum lips vibrated through their joined chests. Lance felt a cold earring graze his hot tawny skin, electrifying the nerve endings and sending a shiver down his spine, arching into Rolo once more. Pulling his arm from beneath Lance’s arched back, Rolo brushing slowly down along Lance’s side from ribs to hip. Grasping hold of his thigh, Rolo stroked the inner slope with his thumb._ _

__Lance’s breath shuddered, eyes shut tight, and all his senses shattered in the moment of release, burying his fingertips into Rolo’s skin, leaving behind biting blue marks in his smooth, orchid skin. It took Rolo a few ticks to follow Lance into his blissful state, soiled bodies slumping together on the bed. Lance soaked in the weight of Rolo, his warmth, feeling thoroughly grounded and perfectly safe. The pair inhaled each other’s scents, straining to catch their breaths in disoriented serenity._ _

__Rolo pulled his neck back, shifting to ease some weight off of Lance. He turned his neck to the side to take in Lance’s expression, eyes traveling over his features. Cupping Lance’s jaw in his hand, Rolo smiled softly, speaking in low, smoky tones. “You are so beautiful.”_ _

__Lance’s face flushed, admittedly not much of a feat in his current state, his eyes widening. After a few ticks, he settled on a suitable reply._ _

__“So…” he proclaimed. “Safe to say there’s _nothing_ wrong with our hormones.” _ _

__Rolo gave him a look before snorting a laugh, closing his eyes as he chuckled. Lance laughed along, nestling against Rolo, silently thanking Kazrin for bringing them together._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading to the end!!!! I really enjoyed writing this AU. Maybe I'll add more to it later? I dunno. It's really fun building worlds and cultures.
> 
> Thanks to @nikole-kephir for being my soundboard through this process, editing, and some beautiful artwork (which I'll add soon!), and Dreammaker for some additional editing support.


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